Department for Transport

High Speed Two: National Trust

Dame Cheryl Gillan: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what correspondence he has entered into with HS2 Ltd on its engagement with the National Trust; and if he will publish those exchanges.

Ms Nusrat Ghani: There has not been any correspondence between the Secretary of State and HS2 Limited (HS2 Ltd) on HS2 Ltd’s engagement with the National Trust. I am grateful to the National Trust for its constructive engagement with both the Department for Transport (DfT) and HS2 Ltd to date. I would welcome further engagement as the scheme progresses.

Rolling Stock: Leasing

Andy McDonald: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what estimate he has made of the level of future vehicle leasing charges in the rail industry given the projected shortening of average vehicle life.

Joseph Johnson: It is for the train’s owners to take a view on the expected life of the trains and offer them to the market at competitive rates that ensure these assets are kept in service for their expected life.

Railways: Suicide

Bridget Phillipson: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what information his Department holds on the number of suicides which occurred on UK railway lines in each of the last 15 years.

Joseph Johnson: Official statistics relating to the number of suicides on the mainline railway network in Great Britain are published by the Office of Rail and Road (ORR) on their website at:https://dataportal.orr.gov.uk/browsereports/5 Government and the rail industry are jointly engaged in many strands of activity to reduce the number of suicides on the rail network. Last year over 1800 lifesaving interventions were made, with 2016/17 having the lowest number of suicide events recorded on the railway since the rail industry’s suicide prevention programme began in 2010.

Railways: Fares

Conor McGinn: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what the average amount paid for (a) advance single and (b) advance return journeys between (i) London and Liverpool (ii) London and Manchester (iii) London and Warrington was in each year since 2010.

Joseph Johnson: This information is held by Train Operating Companies who offer Advance fares between these stations: Virgin Trains West Coast between London and Liverpool, Manchester and Warrington; West Midlands Trains between London and Liverpool; and East Midlands Trains between London and Manchester.

Train Operating Companies: Merseyside

Conor McGinn: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, when the franchises of those train companies which operate services through (a) Earlestown, (b) Newton-le-willows and (c) Garswood are due for renewal.

Conor McGinn: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what information his Department holds on the proportion of trains from (a) Earlestown, (bi) Newton-le-willows and (c) Garswood which were (i) delayed and (ii) cancelled in each year since 2010.

Joseph Johnson: The Northern franchise is due for renewal on 1st April 2025. The Wales & Borders franchise is due for renewal on 14th October 2018. The procurement of a new operator for the franchise is being led by the Welsh Government. The department does not hold this information, as it is not the custodian of detailed performance data for the industry, and we do not require that level of detail on a day-to-day basis to manage the franchise performance regimes.

Arriva Trains Wales

Conor McGinn: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what discussions he has had with the (a) Welsh Government and (b) Mayor of Liverpool City Region on the Arriva Trains Wales service from Holyhead and Llandudno to Manchester stations.

Joseph Johnson: There have been no specific recent discussions with either the Welsh Government or the Mayor of the Liverpool City Region regarding the Arriva Train Wales service from Holyhead and Llandudno to Manchester stations. Discussions did take place last year between the Department and the Welsh Government on the specification of the future services on these routes in the next franchise in respect of their operation within England.

Railways: Concessions

Alex Chalk: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, whether his Department has made an assessment of the potential merits of extending the 16-25 railcard to bus travel.

Ms Nusrat Ghani: Concessionary fares for young people are already available in the vast majority of authorities in England outside of London and such concessionary fares for young people are a matter for local authorities and bus operators to determine in their local areas. Therefore at this point the Department has no plans to introduce a statutory national bus travel concession for young people in England.

Cycling: Rural Areas

Grahame Morris: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, if he will make funding available for the installation and improvement of cycling infrastructure in rural areas.

Jesse Norman: The Government’s statutory Cycling and Walking Investment Strategy, published in April 2017, outlines £1.2 billion of funding that may be invested in cycling and walking over the period to 2021. Since its publication, the Government has made further support available for cycling and walking infrastructure, through the National Productivity Investment Fund, Transforming Cities Fund and Clean Air Fund. Decisions for allocating funding for cycling infrastructure are for local authorities, who allocate and/or bid for funding alongside other local priorities. In addition, the Department for Transport is providing 44 local authorities, including Newcastle City & Gateshead, Tees Valley and North Tyneside Councils, with access to expert support to assist in the development of ten-year Local Cycling and Walking Infrastructure Plans. The support also extends to rural areas such as Gloucestershire, Rutland and Wiltshire. This support will enable authorities to map their future cycle networks and to prioritise future investments.

Cycling: Safety

Grahame Morris: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what guidance his Department provides to local authorities on steps to improve cycling safety.

Jesse Norman: The Department provides guidance on the design of cycle infrastructure in Local Transport Note 2/08. This can be accessed at the following address:https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/cycle-infrastructure-design-ltn-208 Improving the safety of cyclists is one of the underlying principles of this guidance. The Department is in the process of updating the note to take account of developments since its publication in 2008, and aims to publish a revised version by the end of 2018.The Department is also helping local authorities to prepare Local Cycling and Walking Infrastructure Plans, which will help them to take a more strategic approach to improving conditions for cycling in their areas. Finally, The Department funds Bikeability, the national cycle training programme, and has a number of cycle safety related THINK! campaigns which local authorities can publicise in their area.

Roads: Capital Investment

Andy McDonald: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what plans he has to review the funding arrangements for road investment.

Jesse Norman: The Department has no plans to review the funding arrangements for road investment.

Railways: Franchises

Andy McDonald: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what plans he has to reform rail franchising to find a better balance between short-term returns to passengers and the sustainable improvement of passenger services.

Joseph Johnson: The Department announced in 2017’s paper ‘Connecting people: a strategic vision for rail’ plans to build on the successes of franchising and create genuine, long-term partnerships between the public sector and private partners to dramatically improve the service that passengers receive. These plans include joining-up teams on track and train to put passengers first. Passengers will be able to hold one team to account for the service they receive. And new joined-up teams will make a difference to the thousands of day-to-day operating decisions that affect passengers – transforming their journeys for the better.

Roads: Safety

Karl Turner: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, pursuant to paragraph 4.1.1 Safer Roads of the Highways England Delivery Plan 2015-2020, what progress has been made on ensuring that Highways England meets its target of ensuring that by the end of 2020 (a) 90 per cent of travel on the strategic road network is on roads with a safety rating of EuroRAP 3* or equivalent and (b) the majority of those roads with a 1* and 2* rating have been brought up to 3*.

Jesse Norman: The strategic road network is one of the safest national road networks in the world. Highways England is committed to maintaining and improving levels of safety across the network, including single carriageways that typically have a lower star rating. Highways England are making good progress against these targets and will publish updated figures later this year.

Cycleways: Coastal Areas

Grahame Morris: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, if he will provide funding for a national cycle path to run alongside the England Coast Path.

Jesse Norman: The Government’s statutory Cycling and Walking Investment Strategy, published in April 2017, outlines £1.2 billion of funding that may be invested in cycling and walking over the period to 2021. Since its publication, the Government has made further support available for cycling and walking infrastructure, through the National Productivity Investment Fund, Transforming Cities Fund and Clean Air Fund. Decisions on allocating funding for cycle paths are for local authorities, including in coastal areas. Currently, there are no plans to provide dedicated funding for a national cycle path to run alongside the England Coast Path.

Railways: Tree Felling

Kerry McCarthy: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what discussions he has had with Network Rail on tree felling during the nesting season.

Joseph Johnson: The Department for Transport has indicated that it will not be possible to answer this question within the usual time period. An answer is being prepared and will be provided as soon as it is available.

Train Operating Companies: Compensation

Andy McDonald: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what plans he has to review the rail passenger compensation arrangements to ensure train operating companies pass on the money they receive in compensation from Network Rail to passengers in (a) full and (b) a timely manner.

Joseph Johnson: Passenger compensation arrangements are distinct from the payments made by Network Rail to train operators for planned and unplanned disruption. They cover different issues and serve fundamentally different purposes, and therefore cannot be linked in this way: Passenger compensation is paid by train operators to passengers for delays in line with the arrangements relevant to the particular franchise (e.g. delay repay).The payments made by Network Rail, in contrast, compensate the train operator for the future long term loss of revenue as a result of reduced passenger journeys arising from planned and unplanned disruption. These can, in certain circumstances, involve payments from the train operator to Network Rail, where it outperforms expectations. These significant differences means that there is no expectation that train operating companies pass on the money received from Network Rail in this manner. However, the Government has, and continues to take steps to improve passenger awareness and uptake of compensation. The independent ORR has worked to improve the information provided to passengers, including via social media activity, and the claims process itself reporting on progress in the annual Measuring Up report. These steps have led to significant increases in passenger compensation, with over £73m paid out to successful claimants in 2016/17, an increase of 63.8% on the previous year.

Rail Delivery Group

Andy McDonald: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what assessment he has made of the (a) effectiveness, (b) efficiency and (c) value for money of the Rail Delivery Group; and if he will make a statement.

Joseph Johnson: The Government is supportive of the Rail Delivery Group’s (RDG’s) role of providing industry leadership to achieve better outcomes for rail users. We continue to work closely with them to ensure they are well placed to provide the strategic leadership needed to deliver key reforms and priorities of the railway. RDG is a private company funded by the membership fees paid by its members.

Bus Services: Concessions

Daniel Zeichner: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, how many operator appeals he has received in respect of reimbursement of concessionary fares in each of the last five years.

Ms Nusrat Ghani: The number of appeals received by the Department is: 12-13: 113-14: 114-15: 515-16: 216-17: 1

Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy

Housing: Heating

John Healey: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, what assessment he has made of the long-term potential for hydrogen to lower the emissions required for the heating of residential properties.

Claire Perry: The Department is currently undertaking work to strengthen and assess the evidence on the range of potential approaches to decarbonising heat, including on the use of hydrogen. There are a number of technologies with the potential to make a major contribution to decarbonisation. As well as hydrogen, these include, heat pumps, hybrid gas and electric heating systems and district heating networks. I plan to publish a report on the Department’s review of the evidence later this year.The Department has also commissioned the Hy4Heat project which aims to provide essential technical evidence on the use of hydrogen for heat in buildings. This will include developing and testing hydrogen boilers. The project has a total budget of £25m and will run until 2021.

Electricity: Republic of Ireland

Hywel Williams: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, what estimate he has made of the potential tariffs that will fall on the UK when importing electricity from the Republic of Ireland in the event that the UK leaves the Single Market and Customs Union.

Claire Perry: The Government’s priority is to maintain affordable, clean, and secure energy supplies for businesses and households. We share the EU’s ambition to make energy trading easier and more efficient by opening up national markets, and increasing the level of interconnection between them, including between all parts of the UK and Ireland. My rt. hon. Friend the Prime Minister has said that we want to protect the single electricity market across Ireland and Northern Ireland; and we also want to continue arrangements that allow efficient trade of electricity to take place between the Ireland-Northern Ireland single electricity market and Great Britain. Outcomes relating to the EU Single Market and Customs Union, however, are matters for negotiations, and we are unable to comment on this until negotiations conclude.

Chemicals: EU law

Gavin Robinson: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, what assessment he has made of the potential effect on the defence sector of the UK leaving the REACH chemical framework after the UK leaves the EU.

Richard Harrington: The Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy recognises the importance of the continued availability of specialist chemicals from the EU to the Defence Sector after we have left the European Union. BEIS is working closely with the chemical industry to understand the impacts resulting from UK’s exit from the EU. We want to minimise the regulatory and market access barriers for UK businesses, including for those in the chemicals sector. We want to ensure that UK companies including our Defence Sector have the maximum freedom to trade with and operate within European markets – and to let European businesses do the same in the UK.

Modern Working Practices Review

Paul Blomfield: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, pursuant to the Answer of 26 March 2018 to Question 133760 on Modern Working Practices Review, when he plans to publish copies of the written evidence submitted to that review on the Gov.uk website.

Andrew Griffiths: The written evidence submitted to the review was published on the Gov.uk website on Friday 4th May 2018

Energy: Conservation

Anna McMorrin: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, whether his Department has a target for improving energy efficiency in buildings beyond 2022; and if he will make a statement.

Claire Perry: The Government has a number of targets and ambitions for improving energy efficiency in buildings as set out in the Clean Growth Strategy, published in October 2017. For example, these include: A statutory target to raise as many English fuel poor homes as is reasonably practicable to energy efficiency Band C by 2030, with milestones of Band E by 2020 and Band D by 2025. The Devolved Administrations in Scotland and Wales have separate legal fuel poverty targets.An aspiration that as many homes as possible, across the whole housing stock are improved to Energy Performance Certificate Band C by 2035, where practical, cost-effective and affordable.An ambition to enable business and industry to improve energy efficiency by at least 20 per cent by 2030. This will require improvements to energy efficiency in buildings as well as industrial processes.

ASDA: J Sainsbury

Mike Amesbury: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, what estimate he has made of the potential job losses arising from the proposed merger of ASDA and Sainsbury's in the (a) stores, (b) head offices and (c) distribution centres of both supermarkets; and what assessment he has made of the potential effect of that merger on the level of growth in the (i) North West and (ii) UK economy.

Andrew Griffiths: Sainsbury’s and Asda have stated that they have not planned any store closures and or instore job losses as a result of the proposed merger. They have also said that they intend to continue operating both brands. Mergers are independent of Ministerial control. Under the Enterprise Act 2002, which governs mergers in the UK, my rt. hon. Friend the Secretary of State has a role only in cases where a merger gives rise to concerns over security, media plurality and financial stability. Should the proposed merger raise competition concerns, the Competition and Markets Authority, independent of Government has the power to investigate. We currently await their views on the merger.

ASDA: J Sainsbury

Mike Amesbury: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, what steps he is taking to encourage ASDA and Sainsbury's to engage directly and meaningfully with trade unions following the announcement of the potential merger of those businesses.

Andrew Griffiths: Sainsbury’s and Asda are private companies and the Government has no role in their strategic decisions. When the proposed merger was announced, I spoke with USDAW, GMB and Unite unions to understand their positions. Along with my rt. hon. Friend the Secretary of State, I also spoke with the CEOs of Sainsbury’s and Asda and reiterated the importance of them engaging not only with the USDAW, GMB and Unite unions, but also with other unions with an interest such as the National Farmers Union.

Licensed Premises: Energy

Giles Watling: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, what assessment he has made of the potential effect of the proposed EU ecodesign and energy labelling regulations on the sustainability of UK entertainment venues.

Claire Perry: The Department does not carry out cost benefit analysis of early drafts of EU Ecodesign Regulations. Once we see the final version of this regulation before the Regulatory Committee vote in Brussels, where the UK and other Member States will vote on the regulation, we will carry out a cost benefit analysis for the UK but not specific sectors. The Ecodesign proposal for lighting that I assume you are referring to will be voted on in October/November 2018 and we would expect to see a final version one month prior to that.

Farmers: Bankruptcy

Mr Jim Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, whether his Department has made an estimate of the number of British farms at risk of bankruptcy in each of the next three years; and if he will make a statement.

Andrew Griffiths: The Department does not hold this information.

Farmers: Bankruptcy

Mr Jim Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, how many farms have declared bankruptcy in each of the last five years.

Andrew Griffiths: The Insolvency Service produces quarterly statistics on the number of new insolvencies for companies and individuals in England and Wales, including breakdowns by industry. The most recent statistics, covering the period January to March 2018, which include a comparison with previous periods, were published on Friday 27 April 2018 on gov.uk.

Foreign and Commonwealth Office

Hajer Mansoor Hassan

Anna McMorrin: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, whether he plans to make representations to the Government of Bahrain on Hajar Mansoor Hassan’s denial of medication by prison authorities in Isa Town Prison.

Alistair Burt: We encourage those with concerns about treatment in detention to report these to the appropriate oversight body. We urge these oversight bodies to carry out swift and thorough investigations into any such claims. We understand that the National Institution for Human Rights is aware of this case and is monitoring the situation, and that the Ombudsman of the Ministry of the Interior is also investigating the claims.

Rajab Nabeel

Anna McMorrin: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what representations his Department has made to the Government of Bahrain on recent punitive measures against Nabeel Rajab in Jau Prison.

Alistair Burt: We have raised the case of Nabeel Rajab at senior levels with the Government of Bahrain. My statement of 21 February made clear my concerns at the five-year sentence handed to Mr Rajab in addition to the two-year sentence he received in 2017. I understand that Mr Rajab has a right of appeal in this case and we will continue to monitor proceedings closely.We encourage those with concerns about treatment in detention to report these to the relevant human rights oversight bodies. We continue to encourage the Government of Bahrain to deliver on its international and domestic human rights commitments.

Bahrain: Technical Assistance

Anna McMorrin: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, which UK bodies are tasked with implementing the technical assistance programme in Bahrain funded by the Integrated Activity Fund, and which Bahraini bodies are the beneficiaries of that funding.

Alistair Burt: The Government works with a number of implementation partners and beneficiaries to support Bahraini-led reform. These programmes aim to support progress on building effective and accountable institutions, strengthening the rule of law, and justice reform. All of our work is in line with international standards and aims to share the UK's expertise and experience. Any training provided by or on behalf of the British Government fully complies with our domestic and international human rights obligations.

Bahrain: Capital Punishment

Anna McMorrin: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what representations he has made to the Government of Bahrain on the recent decision of the Bahrain’s Military Court of Cassation to uphold the death sentences of four people of whom three are civilians.

Alistair Burt: The UK is firmly opposed to the death penalty. It is the Government's longstanding position to oppose capital sentences in all circumstances and countries. We continue to make this clear to the Government of Bahrain. The UK welcomes the decision on 26 April of His Majesty King Hamad Bin Isa Al Khalifa to commute these death sentences.

Department for International Development and Foreign and Commonwealth Office: Departmental Coordination

Sir Nicholas Soames: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, in how many overseas posts do officials in his Department share offices with officials from the Department for International Development.

Alistair Burt: The Foreign and Commonwealth Office (FCO) and the Department for International Development (DFID) share buildings in 48 locations in 44 countries. This includes places where DFID have a separate building but are on our compound.The FCO runs the overseas estates platform for all of Government, including DFID. The DFID residential estate overseas has been consolidated with the FCO's. Work is now starting to consolidate further FCO and DFID offices in countries where it makes sense to do so.

Turkey: Elections

Emily Thornberry: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what assessment he has made of the potential implications of the Turkish Government's decision to hold parliamentary and presidential elections under a state of emergency for the prospects of such elections being held in a free, fair and transparent manner; and what recent representations he has made to his counterpart in Turkey on that issue.

Boris Johnson: We have frequently raised with the Turkish Government our desire to see the State of Emergency lifted as soon as possible. We are aware of the concerns expressed by the Council of Europe Parliamentary Assembly and others about holding elections under a State of Emergency. We will continue to urge the Turkish Government to conduct elections in a manner that respects the rule of law and protects fundamental freedoms in line with its international commitments.

Paraguay: Elections

Emily Thornberry: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what assessment he has made of whether the general election held in Paraguay on 22 April 2018 was conducted in a free, fair and transparent manner.

Boris Johnson: The EU Election Observation Mission (EU EOM) in Paraguay has issued a preliminary statement that the general election held on 22 April 2018 was "well-administered" but held in a "context of institutional weakness". Our diplomats in Paraguay took part in the observation mission and we agree with that initial assessment. We look forward to the publication of the EU EOM final report in June.

Paraguay: Elections

Emily Thornberry: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what assessment he has made of the progress of the Paraguayan authorities toward full implementation of the 30 recommendations set out in the final report of he EU Election Observation Mission in Paraguay following the general election held in that country on 21 April 2013.

Boris Johnson: An EU Election Follow-Up Mission was deployed to Paraguay in April 2015 to assess the progress made in the implementation of the 2013 EU Election Observation Mission (EU EOM). At that time it considered that there had been "significant progress" in the implementation of the EU EOM recommendations since the 2013 general elections. However, as the Preliminary Statement for the EU EOM after the April 2018 election points out, full implementation of all recommendations has not yet been achieved, including those aimed at strengthening the independence and transparency of public institutions, the control of political party financing, as well as at increasing the participation and representation of women in public life.

North Africa: Refugees

Mr Gregory Campbell: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what estimate he has made of the number of people who have made an illegal sea crossing between North Africa and Europe in the last six months.

Sir Alan Duncan: ​According to the Office of the UN High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR), 27,807 people crossed the Mediterranean by sea from North Africa into Italy and Spain from November 2017 to April 2018.

Turkey: Christianity

Mr Gregory Campbell: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what recent discussions he has had with his counterpart in the Turkish Government on the treatment of Christians in that country.

Sir Alan Duncan: British ministers have regular discussions with their Turkish counterparts on a range of human rights issues, including freedom of religion and belief. We take the situation of minority groups in Turkey very seriously and urge the Turkish Government to safeguard their rights.

Nicaragua: Politics and Government

Emily Thornberry: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what recent representations he has made to his counterpart in Nicaragua on the treatment of protesters by police and security forces in that country.

Boris Johnson: The Government is concerned by the Nicaraguan Government's response to recent protests in the country and reported human rights abuses, notably reports that 63 people have been killed, including a journalist reporting live on the protests. The alleged excessive use of force by security services and disregard for freedom of expression shown by imposing media restrictions are unacceptable.The UK joined an EU message of condemnation and called for restraint immediately following the violent protests. We continue to follow developments closely. The Government's calls for peaceful dialogue and the release of detainees are welcome. We urge the Nicaraguan Government to ensure a thorough investigation of all reports of human rights abuses.

Nicaragua: Politics and Government

Emily Thornberry: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what representations he has made to his counterpart in Nicaragua on adopting wider political reforms as a result of the recent abandonment of proposed reforms to social security by the Government of that country.

Boris Johnson: The Nicaraguan Government has made some positive steps toward wider political reforms. The Nicaraguan Government's commitment to allow an Organisation of American States (OAS) mission to observe the next presidential election in 2021 and a wider programme of visits to strengthen democracy are welcome. However, the recent protests show this is not enough. An OAS report highlighted the need for comprehensive electoral reform and a stronger judicial and administrative framework that gives more confidence and security to political parties and citizens.The UK supports these recommendations and continued engagement between the Nicaraguan Government and the OAS to adopt further political reforms.

Bahrain: Political Prisoners

Mr Roger Godsiff: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, whether the UK Embassy in Manama, Bahrain, plans to send a representative to attend the next legal hearing involving Najah Ahmed Yousif.

Alistair Burt: Officials from the British Embassy in Bahrain were present at the court hearing for Najah Ahmed Yousif. We will continue to monitor this case closely.

Northern Ireland Office

Northern Ireland Government

Lady Hermon: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland, pursuant to the Answer of 27 April 2018 to Question 137494 on Northern Ireland Government, what discussions she had with the five largest political parties in Northern Ireland between mid-February 2018 and 26 April 2018; and if she will make a statement.

Karen Bradley: Holding answer received on 08 May 2018



I have discussions with the leaders and representatives of the political parties in Northern Ireland on an ongoing basis. During these discussions we cover a range of issues, but the focus is always on the restoration of devolved Government in Northern Ireland.

Security: Northern Ireland

Lady Hermon: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland, what security briefings have been given on what dates since 1 January 2016 by police authorities in Northern Ireland to (a) Ministers and (b) officials of her Department on the potential implications of the UK leaving the EU; and if she will make a statement.

Karen Bradley: Holding answer received on 08 May 2018



The PSNI have been, and will continue to be, fully engaged in ongoing constructive meetings with representatives from both the NIO and other Whitehall departments on a wide range of matters, including the potential implications of the UK leaving the EU.Most recently, on 23 April, senior PSNI officers and NIO officials briefed the Secretary of State for Exiting the European Union during his visit to Northern Ireland.

Department of Health and Social Care

Foetal Alcohol Syndrome

Thelma Walker: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps his Department is taking to support people diagnosed with foetal alcohol syndrome.

Steve Brine: The Government recognises that Fetal Alcohol Syndrome and Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorders (FASD) can have a significant impact on the early years development of children, their behaviours and their life chances. Early intervention services can help reduce some of the effects of FASD and prevent some of the secondary disabilities that result. Responsibility for commissioning these services lies with clinical commissioning groups. The United Kingdom Chief Medical Officers’ low risk drinking guidelines provide the public with the most up to date scientific information to help people make informed decisions about their own drinking. The guideline for women who are pregnant or think they could become pregnant, is that the safest approach is not to drink alcohol at all, to reduce risks to the baby to a minimum.

E. coli

Jonathan Ashworth: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, how many people have been diagnosed with E. coli in each of the last five years.

Steve Brine: ublic Health England collects data for England on Escherichia coli (E.coli) bacteraemia and data for England and Wales on Shiga toxin-producing Escherichia coli (STEC) gastrointestinal infections and these are reported using different time periods. The number of cases of E.coli in England in each of the last five financial years are available to view in the following table.   E. coli bacteraemia counts by financial year, England: 2012/13 to 2016/17Financial YearE.coli bacteraemia cases2012/1332,3092013/1434,2862014/1535,7992015/1638,2512016/1740,580Source: Annual Epidemiological Commentary: Mandatory MRSA, MSSA and E. coli bacteraemia and C. difficile infection data 2016/17. The number of laboratory confirmed cases of STEC O157 and non O157 STEC in England and Wales from 2012-2016 are available to view in the following table.  Laboratory confirmed cases of Shiga toxin-producing E.coli (STEC) O157 and non O157 STEC in England and Wales, 2012 – 2016.YearSTEC O157 casesNon-O157 STEC cases201283722201378747201488316920156652112016719295Source: Zoonoses overview report UK 2016.

Trauma

Jonathan Ashworth: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, how many trauma cases were recorded in NHS A&E departments in each of the last 10 years.

Jonathan Ashworth: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, how many trauma cases were recorded across all NHS hospitals in each of the last 10 years.

Stephen Barclay: The requested data is not centrally held.

Obesity

Jonathan Ashworth: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, how many adults were recorded as obese in (a) England, (b) London, (c) each primary care trust in London and (d) each London borough in each year since 2010.

Steve Brine: Data on adults who are obese are published by obesity prevalence rather than the number of adults who are obese. Health Survey for England records adult obesity prevalence figures for England and the London region on an annual basis. Data from 2010 to 2016 are available to view here: https://digital.nhs.uk/data-and-information/publications/statistical/health-survey-for-england The Public Health Outcomes Framework provides estimates of obesity prevalence in adults aged 18 and over at local authority level, including London boroughs for 2015/16 to 2016/17 which is available to view here: https://fingertips.phe.org.uk/profile/public-health-outcomes-framework/supporting-information/further-info Data from before 2015/16 are based on a different method of calculating this indicator, therefore are not comparable to the more recent years.

Obesity

Jonathan Ashworth: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps the Government is taking to reduce levels of obesity.

Steve Brine: We are delivering the most ambitious childhood obesity plan in the world. Key measures include the soft drinks industry levy, helping children to exercise more, funding more research and cutting sugar and calories in food. We are already seeing results with many in the food and drinks industry reducing levels of sugar in their products. This will impact on tackling obesity across all age groups. All reports and data published on progress in delivering our plan will be open to scrutiny. We will use this to determine whether sufficient progress has been made and whether alternative levers need to be considered.

Donors: Transplant Surgery

Jonathan Ashworth: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, how many (a) heart, (b) lung, (c) liver, (d) kidney and (e) cornea transplant donations there have been in each of the last five years.

Jackie Doyle-Price: Information on the number of transplant donations per year in the United Kingdom is available in the following table. Organ(s) transplanted20132014201520162017Kidney (deceased)1,9541,9171,9322,1422,255Kidney (live)1,0821,0701,024995985Kidney/pancreas190171175147176Heart186177187205180Lung(s)203187195165187Heart/lung64528Liver (deceased)825861817887936Liver (live)2124251923Cornea*6,6026,0765,9595,7195,816 Source: NHS Blood and Transplant and *Human Tissue Authority.

Scurvy

Jonathan Ashworth: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, how many cases of scurvy there were in each year since 2010.

Steve Brine: The data on the number of individual patients with scurvy are not collected as the same person may attend a National Health Service hospital on more than one occasion. Data on the number of finished admissions episodes (FAEs) with a primary diagnosis of scurvy, for the financial years between 2010-11 and 2016-17 are available in the following table: Financial YearFAEs2010-11Less than 102011-12Less than 102012-13182013-14172014-15172015-16122016-17Less than 10Source: Hospital Episode Statistics (HES), NHS Digital. Note: A FAE is the first period of admitted patient care under one consultant within one healthcare provider. FAEs are counted against the year or month in which the admission episode finishes. Admissions do not represent the number of patients, as a person may have more than one admission within the period. The primary diagnosis recorded in the HES data set provides the main reason why the patient was admitted to hospital. HES uses the World Health Organization’s ICD-10 (International Classification of Diseases and Related Health Problems, 10th Revision) to record diagnosis information. In this case, code ‘E54. X - Ascorbic acid deficiency’ has been used.

Fractures: Older People

Jonathan Ashworth: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, how many people aged 65 and over suffered a hip fracture as a result of a fall in each year since 2009-10.

Stephen Barclay: A count of finished admission episodes (FAEs) with a primary diagnosis of a fracture of the neck of the femur caused by a fall is shown in the table below. This is for patients aged 65 and over from the financial years 2009/10 through to 2016/17. This is a count of admissions, not patients, as the same patient may have been admitted on more than one occasion within the time period: YearFAE2009/1036,0062010/1135,7342011/1235,8262012/1335,6692013/1437,3102014/1536,9932015/1635,8062016/1735,891Source: Hospital Episode Statistics, NHS Digital.

Nurses

Jonathan Ashworth: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, how many nurses were employed in each NHS region in each year since 2010.

Stephen Barclay: NHS Digital publishes Hospital and Community Health Services workforce statistics as at the last day of each month and the attachment contains the number of nurses and health visitors in each Health Education region as at September in each specified year and January 2018.



PQ138985 attached document
(Excel SpreadSheet, 22.69 KB)

Plastic Surgery

Jonathan Ashworth: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what the three most common cosmetic surgery operations were in each of the last five years.

Stephen Barclay: The following table sets out the three most common surgical procedures carried out in the National Health Service in England between 2012-13 and 2016-17 which have a significant reconstructive or plastic element. They are generally carried out following surgery or to treat some other type of clinical condition. The Department does not have information on the numbers of procedures undertaken in the independent sector that are not commissioned by the NHS.Activity in English NHS hospitals and English NHS-commissioned activity in the independent sectorProcedure2012-132013-142014-152015-162016-17Breast Augmentation11,48011,78212,10111,97611,924Blepharoplasty (eyelid surgery)4,8755,1885,7805,2854,951Plastic operations on the external ear4,6014,5054,3764,3514,549 Source: Hospital Episode Statistics Note: Numbers refer to finished consultant episodes. A finished consultant episode is a continuous period of admitted patient care under one consultant within one healthcare provider.

Alzheimer's Disease

Jonathan Ashworth: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, how many people had Alzheimer's disease in the last year for which figures are available; and what the cost of their medication was in that year.

Caroline Dinenage: The Department does not hold figures on the number of people with Alzheimer’s disease. However, it is estimated that approximately 850,000 people in the United Kingdom have the condition. Drugs for the treatment of Alzheimer’s disease are classified under section 4.11 of the British National Formulary (BNF), Drugs for Dementia. These drugs are Donepezil, Galantamine, Rivastigmine and Memantine. NHS Prescription Services, who provide data on dispensing of National Health Service prescriptions, add the unlicensed drug Idebenone. These drugs are all included in the following table, which gives details of these drugs where they have been dispensed in the community in England in 2017. Since drugs can be prescribed to treat more than one condition, it is not possible to separate the different conditions for which a drug may have been prescribed. Rivastigmine is also licensed for dementia associated with Parkinson’s disease. Idebenone has been used for stroke, Alzheimer’s disease and other indications.BNF Section CodeBNF Section NameNet Ingredient Cost (NIC)*4.11Drugs for Dementia£28,187,845  Source: Prescription Cost Analysis Note: *This is the basic cost of a drug as used in primary care. This is the cost at list price excluding VAT, i.e. the price listed in the national Drug Tariff or in standard price lists and is not necessarily the price the NHS paid. It does not take into account any contract prices or discounts, dispensing costs, fees or prescription charge income, so the amount the NHS paid will be different. NIC is used in Prescription Services reports and other analyses, as it standardises cost throughout prescribing nationally, and allows comparisons of data from different sources. The figures are in pounds.

Surgery: Waiting Lists

Gareth Snell: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what the estimated he has made of the value (a) in total and (b) by clinical commissioning group of all cancelled operations during last winter.

Stephen Barclay: No estimate surrounding the value of cancelled operations during last winter has been made.

Hospitals: Food

Jonathan Ashworth: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, how much funding his Department allocates to hospitals for providing food for patients with special dietary requirements.

Stephen Barclay: Providers are not funded directly by the Department. The majority of the Department’s funding is allocated to NHS England, primarily for the commissioning of healthcare services from a range of primary and secondary care providers. National Health Service providers (NHS trusts and foundation trusts) fund their spending via income received from NHS commissioners in return for the provision of healthcare services to their local population. It is for commissioners to ensure that providers’ services meet the standards, including for providing food for patients with special dietary requirements, set out by the Care Quality Commission.

Local Government: Health Services

Tracy Brabin: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, if he will take steps to ensure that local authorities that commission public health services appoint resident representatives to their commissioning (a) board and (b) working groups to help determine the appropriateness of local initiatives.

Steve Brine: Upper tier and unitary local authorities (LAs) in England have a duty to take the steps they believe are appropriate to improve the health of their local populations. LAs are directly accountable to their electorates for the way in which they discharge their duty and generally should decide for themselves how best to involve local residents in informing public health commissioning decisions. However, LAs with health improvement duties must establish Health and Wellbeing Boards that bring together representatives from the local National Health Service, public health, social care and beyond to agree joint strategic needs assessments for the area. Each of these LAs also has a corresponding Local Healthwatch, organisations that aim to give citizens a strong voice in influencing and challenging how health and social care services are provided within their locality. All Health and Wellbeing Boards must include a Local Healthwatch member.

Health: Children

Tracy Brabin: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, if he will make an assessment of the effect of socioeconomic inequalities on children's health outcomes throughout their lifetimes.

Jackie Doyle-Price: Inequalities experienced in childhood can lead to continuing problems across the life course. We want children to have the best start in life. Health visitors, as leaders of the Healthy Child Programme for 0-5 year olds, provide evidence-based public health interventions at community, family and individual levels. Local commissioners are critical in providing quality services that address public health priorities associated with deprivation. These include services to tackle smoking in pregnancy, reduce childhood obesity, improve oral health and enhance early language skills. Public Health England is working closely with the Department for Education to help parents improve their children’s early language and literacy skills before they start school. This aims to close the `word gap’ between disadvantaged children and their peers. An £8.5 million programme has opened for local authorities to fund projects aimed at disadvantaged children. We are making an additional £1.4 billion available to transform children and young people’s mental health services from 2015/16 to 2019/20. This will mean that by 2020/21, 70,000 additional children and young people each year will be accessing National Health Service specialist mental health services. We are clear that there is still more to be done, hence why we have recently published a joint health and education Green Paper, one of the key proposals for which is to create new mental health support teams to deliver interventions for mild to moderate mental health needs for children and young people, in or close to schools and colleges.

Postnatal Depression

Gavin Robinson: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what assessment he has made of the effectiveness of GPs in identifying and treating perinatal mental health problems in mothers.

Jackie Doyle-Price: This Government is committed to improving perinatal mental health services for women during pregnancy and in the first postnatal year, so that women are able to access the right care at the right time and close to home. The importance of this is reflected in both NHS England’s ‘Better Births’ and the ‘Five Year Forward View for Mental Health'. General practitioners and primary care teams have a role in supporting the identification of perinatal mental illness and treatment, and are part of an integrated pathway of services. This includes monitoring early onset conditions, providing pre-conception counselling and referring women to specialist mental health services, including the Improving Access to Psychological Therapies programme and specialist perinatal community teams, if necessary. The Department is investing £365 million to 2020/21 in perinatal mental health services, and NHS England is leading a transformation programme with the development of specialist perinatal mental health community services across England with their investment of £63 million between 2016/17 and 2018/19. Local teams work in close partnership with wider system partners including primary care to provide care and treatment to women with perinatal mental illness. NHS England has also invested in multidisciplinary perinatal mental health clinical networks which include general practitioners, across the country to drive forward change, focusing on collaborative working to develop local, integrated pathways and support early identification of those at risk of mental illness in the perinatal period, to enable better outcomes for women in all communities.

Healthy Start Scheme

Frank Field: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, pursuant to the Answer of 23 April 2018 to Question 135676 on Healthy Start Scheme, how many families were in receipt of Healthy Start vouchers in those local authority areas.

Jackie Doyle-Price: The number of families in receipt of Healthy Start vouchers in the local authority areas with the lowest and highest Heathy Start uptake rates can be seen in the following table:Local AuthorityNumber of householdsLocal AuthorityNumber of householdsLowest take up Highest take up Devon1,584Hartlepool572Hampshire2,728Newcastle upon Tyne1,442Hertfordshire2,731Halton448Surrey1,887Bath and North East Somerset263Bracknell Forest201Redcar and Cleveland1,045Redbridge761Northumberland1,279Rutland33Gateshead1,043Buckinghamshire1,032Stockton-on-Tees1,223Wokingham182Swindon620Windsor and Maidenhead193Nottingham2,867Note: Validated but unpublished information on Healthy Start vouchers from an approved statistical collection.

Food Standards Agency

Mary Creagh: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, pursuant to the Written Ministerial Statement by the Chief Secretary to the Treasury of 13 March 2018, 35WS, if he will list the projects supported by the £14m allocated to the Food Standards Agency; and if he will publish the total estimated cost of those projects.

Steve Brine: The Food Standards Agency (FSA) has several workstreams relating to the consequences of leaving the European Union which are supported by £14 million of HM Treasury funding. These cover the regulatory regime for food and feed safety, and include food crime and incidents handling, import controls for food products and food safety risk assessment and risk management functions. The FSA has developed delivery plans for a range of negotiated and contingency outcomes and is working with other Government departments and the devolved administrations where there are issues of joint policy responsibility. Due to the sensitivity of these plans to the ongoing negotiations it would not be appropriate to publish a full list with total costs at this stage.

Health Services: Learning Disability

Jonathan Ashworth: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps he is taking to ensure that different health care providers communicate with each other to ensure the delivery of care to patients with learning difficulties.

Caroline Dinenage: Under the Accessible Information Standard, all relevant organisations must ensure that information about individuals’ information and communication support needs is shared through existing data sharing processes where the consent of the individual to do so has been obtained. Such information should be included as part of referrals within and between organisations, including but not limited to referrals from primary into secondary care, transfers and handovers between wards or units, and discharge from an inpatient setting into the community. The scope of the Standard extends to individuals who have information and/or communication support needs which are related to, or caused by, a disability, impairment or sensory loss, including those with a learning disability. Individuals who may have difficulty in reading or understanding information for other reasons such as a learning difficulty, as distinct from a learning disability, are excluded from the Standard’s scope. In the revised Standard specification, which was issued in August 2017, organisations are now recommended, but not required, to include individuals with a learning difficulty within the scope of their activities as part of the Standard.

Mental Health

Luciana Berger: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what plans the Government has to mark Mental Health Awareness week.

Jackie Doyle-Price: The Government supports the promotion of mental health awareness, including co-funding the Time to Change campaign since 2007, which has done so much to reduce stigma and improve attitudes towards people who need support with their mental health. The Government welcomes and will actively support Mental Health Awareness week again this year.

Smoking

Mr Gregory Campbell: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, how many people have died as a result of smoking related conditions in each of the last three years.

Steve Brine: The estimated number of deaths for adults aged 35 and over attributable to smoking, over the years 2013-15 are presented in the following table: YearDeaths201378,200201477,800201579,100Source: NHS Digital – Statistics on Smoking, England, 2017

Surgery

Catherine McKinnell: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, pursuant to the Answer of 23 April 2018 to Question 137067, whether his Department holds data on the reasons NHS operations were cancelled in England.

Stephen Barclay: This data is not collected centrally. It was a matter for local National Health Service trusts to make decisions on whether to postpone operations over the winter period.

Royal Liverpool Hospital

Mrs Louise Ellman: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, when his Department last discussed with HM Treasury the appointment of a new contractor to complete the new Royal Liverpool University Hospital; and if he will he make a statement.

Stephen Barclay: The Private Finance Initiative (PFI) contract between the Royal Liverpool and Broadgreen University Hospitals NHS Trust and the PFI Project Company is still in place, which means that the Company is still contractually obliged to manage the project and find a construction firm or subcontractor who can continue the building work. The PFI Project Company is continuing its discussions with their lenders and with other service and construction companies to assess how best to continue delivering the contract. Officials from across Government are continuing to work very actively with all the parties to ensure there are plans in place to keep the delay as short as possible.

Sustainability and Transformation Partnerships

Sir Nicholas Soames: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what assessment he has made of the rate of progress on the establishment of Sustainability and Transformation Partnerships in England.

Stephen Barclay: All sustainability and transformation partnerships (STPs) have governance plans and established leadership in place. It is important that local people, organisations, and systems themselves, can see how their local footprint is performing comparatively in delivering transformation and improving patient care. That is why we have published an STP Dashboard that makes this assessment. The STP Dashboard assesses performance and is on track to be refreshed by July 2018. The 2017 dashboard can be found in the following link: https://www.england.nhs.uk/publication/sustainability-and-transformation-partnerships-progress-dashboard-baseline-view/ The next steps for those STPs that are ready to go further is integrated care systems (ICS). ICSs see commissioners and National Health Service providers, working closely with general practitioner networks, local councils and others, voluntarily agree to take shared responsibility for how they use collective resources for the benefit of their local communities. To enable this, NHS England and NHS Improvement will offer them far more control and freedom over the total operations of the health system in their area.

NHS England and NHS Improvement

Sir Nicholas Soames: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, if he will make it his policy to amalgamate NHS Improvement and NHS England.

Stephen Barclay: As set out under the 2012 Act, NHS England and NHS Improvement have different statutory functions and accountabilities in relation to monitoring and supporting of trusts and clinical commissioning groups. Within this legal framework, they have already taken some steps to ensure their regulatory functions are as streamlined as possible. This includes appointment of shared, associate non-executive directors to chair a joint finance group, as a key way to ensure overall financial balance across the National Health Service. NHS England and NHS Improvement recently announced the intention to go further from September, when there will be increased integration and alignment of national programmes and activities, as well as a move to seven integrated regional teams. These changes will enable NHS England and NHS Improvement to work even more effectively to support increasingly integrated local health systems and make best use of collective resources. The Government welcomes these steps to deliver more joined-up leadership of the NHS, within the legislative framework set by Parliament.

Drugs and Vaccination

Jonathan Ashworth: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, with reference to his Department’s consultation entitled Cost effectiveness methodology for vaccination programmes, published in February 2018, how many medicines and vaccines were approved for funding in England in each of the last five years with a cost per QALY of greater than £15,000; what the names of those medicines and vaccines were; and how many patients have received those medicines and vaccines.

Steve Brine: In relation to vaccines approved for funding in each of the last five years, a cost per quality-adjusted life year threshold of £20,000 has been used not £15,000. An assessment has been produced of the impact on the price that we would be willing to pay for existing vaccine programmes were we to adopt recommendations in the Cost Effectiveness Methodology for Immunisation Programmes and Procurement report that is currently out for consultation. One of these recommendations is to change the threshold from £20,000 to £15,000. This assessment is based on commercially confidential information, therefore the requested information cannot be provided. The information requested in relation to medicines could only be obtained at disproportionate cost.

Drugs and Vaccination

Jonathan Ashworth: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what assessment he has made of the effect on (a) patients and (b) public health of reducing the cost per QALY threshold in England to £15,000 for medicines and vaccines; and if he will make a statement.

Steve Brine: For vaccines, the Department is currently consulting on the Cost Effectiveness Methodology for Immunisation Programmes and Procurement (CEMIPP) report which was produced by the independent CEMIPP group. This is available at the following link: https://www.gov.uk/government/consultations/cost-effectiveness-methodology-for-vaccination-programmes The CEMIPP group was set up to look at the methodology for determining the cost-effectiveness of new and existing immunisation programmes and to make recommendations on if and how methodology could be improved. This report included a recommendation that the cost per quality-adjusted life year threshold for vaccines should change from £20,000 to £15,000. An assessment of what impact this, and a number of other recommendations in the CEMIPP report, might have on the cost effectiveness of existing vaccination programmes has been produced. This is based on commercially confidential information. In addition, the Department has considered the impact of changing the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence thresholds for medicines on patients. This is also based on commercially sensitive information.

Healthy Start Scheme and School Milk

Jonathan Ashworth: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, pursuant to the Answer of 30 April 2018 to Question 138039 on Healthy Start Scheme: Food, how much funding his Department allocated to (a) the Health Start scheme and (b) the Nursery Milk Scheme in each year since 2012-13.

Jackie Doyle-Price: Healthy Start and Nursery Milk schemes are demand led statutory schemes. This means that the Department must meet expenditure arising from legitimate claims made in line with the legislation. Funding is allocated to the schemes to meet the actual demand. The funding allocated to the schemes is accounted for through a single cost centre with total costs shown below. A split by individual scheme is not available in the format requested.  Total2012 - 13£141,366,3392013 - 14£137,790,2122014 - 15£128,904,3792015 - 16£124,890,6492016 - 17£112,556,870

Healthy Start Scheme

Jonathan Ashworth: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, pursuant to the Answer of 30 April 2018 to Question 138038 on Healthy Start Sceme, what assessment he has made of the reasons for the decline in the number of (a) women and (b) children eligible to apply for Healthy Start vouchers.

Jackie Doyle-Price: Eligibility for Healthy Start vouchers is determined by the receipt of qualifying benefits. All pregnant women aged under 18 are also eligible to receive Healthy Start vouchers. The number of households eligible for Healthy Start vouchers is closely linked to the level of unemployment. As unemployment levels change, the number of women and children eligible to receive Healthy Start vouchers also changes.

School Milk

Jonathan Ashworth: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, how many children (a) were eligible to receive free milk under the Free Nursery Milk scheme and (b) received free milk under the Free Nursery Milk scheme in each year since 2010.

Jackie Doyle-Price: The information is not available in the format requested. The Department does not collect information about the number of children under the age of five who attend childcare settings and who may therefore be eligible for the Nursery Milk Scheme. The Department also does not collect information about the number of children who receive milk under the Nursery Milk Scheme. Reimbursement is made for approximately 235 million portions, or 78.3 million pints of milk per year, and approximately 47,000 settings are registered with the Nursery Milk Reimbursement Unit.

Respiratory System: Surgery

Jonathan Ashworth: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, how many operations to treat respiratory disease the NHS has undertaken in each of the last 10 years.

Stephen Barclay: The information is not available in the format requested. Hospital Episode Statistics (HES) provide a count of the number of finished admission episodes (FAEs) with a primary diagnosis classified as diseases of the respiratory system where a main procedure was performed. This information for the period 2007-08 to 2016-17 is shown in the following table. This is a count of admissions, not patients, as the same patient may have been admitted on more than one occasion within the time period. Count of FAEs1 with a primary diagnosis classified as diseases of the respiratory system, where a main procedure was performed, 2007-08 to 2016-172. YearFAEs2007-08219,7102008-09236,2262009-10240,4632010-11249,5492011-12255,5632012-13273,0202013-14287,4472014-15305,7482015-16313,9372016-17327,506 Source: HES, NHS Digital, Activity in English NHS Hospitals and English NHS commissioned activity in the independent sector Notes: 1A FAE is the first period of admitted patient care under one consultant within one healthcare provider. FAEs are counted against the year or month in which the admission episode finishes. Admissions do not represent the number of patients, as a person may have more than one admission within the period.2It should be noted that, changes over time may be due to changes in coding practises and improvements over time.

Stress: Employment

Luciana Berger: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what estimate his Department has made of the cost to the NHS of treating people with work-related stress in each of the last three years.

Jackie Doyle-Price: This information is not collected centrally.

Suicide

Mary Glindon: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether he has held discussions with the British Compressed Gases Association on the availability of helium gas used in suicides: and if he will make a statement.

Jackie Doyle-Price: My Rt. hon. Friend the Secretary of State for Health has not met recently with the British Compressed Gases Association about the use of helium gas in suicides. However, Departmental officials have been in contact with the British Compressed Gases Association and other stakeholders about this issue for a number of years.

Dental Services

Craig Mackinlay: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether he plans to make it mandatory for NHS dentist practices to notify all stakeholders of a planned closure one year in advance.

Steve Brine: NHS England has no plans to make it mandatory for National Health Service dental practices to notify all stakeholders of a planned closure one year in advance. The General Dental Services Regulations and Personal Dental Services Agreement Regulations state that, either commissioners or NHS providers may terminate the contract by providing a minimum three months’ notice.

Social Services: Minimum Wage

Jim Shannon: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what assessment his Department has made of the potential merits of establishing a sleep-in care workers fund to pay the historical back pay directly to care workers.

Jim Shannon: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what assessment he has made of the effect on providers of local authority-commissioned care for people with learning disabilities of historical back-pay liability.

Jim Shannon: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps he plans to take to ensure that small local social care providers who are unable to fund historic back-pay liabilities for sleep-in shifts will not be forced into closure.

Caroline Dinenage: The Government recognises the pressures that sleep-in liabilities are placing on social care providers of all sizes, and is exploring options to minimise any impact on the sector. Any intervention to support the sector would need to be proportionate and necessary. In the interim, the Government will continue to work closely with stakeholders to ensure that we have a clear understanding of any impact the sector may face.

General Practitioners

Sir Edward Leigh: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps his Department is taking to increase the number of GPs.

Steve Brine: The National Health Service needs at least 5,000 more general practitioners and is working hard to recruit them. New medical schools have been set up in Sunderland, Lancashire,Chelmsford, Lincoln and Canterbury. We have also increased the numbers entering general practice training to 3,250 places each year and Health Education England reported the highest ever number of doctors entering general practice training in 2017.

Mental Health Services: Children and Young People

Helen Whately: What steps he is taking to increase the provision of mental health services for children and young people.

Jackie Doyle-Price: We are making an additional £1.4 billion available in order to transform services and ensure access to specialist mental health services for 70,000 additional children and young people by 2020/21 each year. Our recent joint health and education Green Paper will revolutionise provision of services in schools, bolster links between schools and the National Health Service and pilot a four week waiting time.

Health Services: Children

Thelma Walker: What steps the Government is taking to improve child health outcomes.

Jackie Doyle-Price: The Government wants children and young people to get the best start in life, and recognises the lasting impact this has on their health outcomes. We take a `life course’ approach which includes early years support so that children are ready to learn.   We have ambitious plans to reduce infant mortality and childhood obesity, improve children and young people’s mental health, and deliver a world-leading immunisation programme.

Department for International Development

Developing Countries: Orphans

Mr Barry Sheerman: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, pursuant to the oral contribution of the Minister of State of 18 April 2018, Official Report, column 305, if she will publish her Department's policy on orphanages.

Harriett Baldwin: DFID does not have a written policy on support to orphanages but DFID’s general policy is not to fund orphanages. DFID’s primary focus is to tackle the underlying drivers of institutionalisation through poverty reduction programmes and through our strong focus on education, nutrition, health, economic development and social protection programming.

Palestinians: International Assistance

Richard Burden: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, whether her Department plans to fund the 2018 Occupied Palestinian Territory Humanitarian Fund administered by the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs.

Alistair Burt: We remain concerned about the humanitarian situation in Gaza. Our current humanitarian support includes £1.9 million via the UN Children’s Fund (UNICEF), which is supporting up to 1 million Gazans by providing clean water and rehabilitating sanitation facilities to stop the spread of disease. We continue to monitor the humanitarian situation in Gaza closely, including through contact with relevant UN agencies, the International Committee of the Red Cross and other humanitarian donors, and we continue to ensure that our programmes can be responsive to spikes in need.

Israel: Palestinians

Richard Burden: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, pursuant to the Answer of 26 April to Question 137118, on Israel: Palestinians, whether any of the organisations she held direct conversations with were (a) Palestinian or (b) groups operating in (i) the West Bank or (ii) Gaza.

Alistair Burt: Officials engaged directly and indirectly with a wide range of NGOs that work with both Palestinian and Israeli society including organisations that are run by Palestinians and operate in the West Bank. The programme does not currently work in Gaza.

Palestinians: Trade

Jo Stevens: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, what assessment she has made of the potential humanitarian effect of ending restrictions on trade between Gaza and the West Bank by building a secure route through Israel.

Alistair Burt: It is clear that if restrictions on trade, movement and access between the West Bank and Gaza were eased via creation of a secure route between the two through Israel, humanitarian goods and personnel would be able to reach the intended beneficiaries in a more timely and cost-effective manner. Easing trade restrictions would help to ensure that humanitarian relief reaches those in need, helping to save lives and reduce suffering. More broadly, the benefits of increased trade flow would enhance Gaza’s economy, and relieve the humanitarian situation by lifting the overall standard of living. An analysis by the World Bank shows that lifting restrictions on Gaza could lead to additional cumulative growth of approximately 32% by 2025. We continue to press Israel to ease restrictions on trade, movement and access in line with their legitimate security concerns, and urge Hamas to renounce violence and move towards the quartet principles; the UK is committed to the unimpeded movement of humanitarian goods and personnel.

Gaza: Borders

Jo Stevens: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, what assessment she has made of the potential humanitarian effect of expanding the capacity of the Kerem Shalom goods crossing between Gaza and Israel.

Alistair Burt: Humanitarian agencies currently have to devote considerable time, resource, and effort to coordinating the passage of humanitarian goods and personnel through crossings between Israel and Gaza. Kerem Shalom is the only crossing for goods to enter and exit Gaza via Israel. In 2017 an average of 218 trucks a month were leaving Gaza into Israel, compared to a monthly average of 961 trucks between January and July in 2007. This severely constrains the economic development of Gaza, which contributes to the dire humanitarian situation. By operating Kerem Shalom at capacity, humanitarian and essential goods would be able to reach the intended beneficiaries in a more timely and cost-effective manner. This would expedite the delivery of humanitarian relief to those in need, helping to save lives and reduce suffering. The UK regularly raises the need to ease trade, movement and access restrictions with the Government of Israel, in line with their legitimate security concerns, and urges Egypt reopen the Rafah crossing.

Department for Education

Schools: Finance

Angela Rayner: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what estimate he has made of the number of schools in England due to lose the maximum amount of 1.5 per cent of their funding per pupil in line with the Minimum Funding Guarantee in 2018-19.

Nick Gibb: Information regarding individual school and academy allocations for the financial year 2018/19 will be published in the autumn in line releases in previous years. This will detail schools’ final budgets for the 2018/19 financial year, including how many schools are being protected by the Minimum Funding Guarantee under their local authorities’ (LAs) local funding formula.The national funding formula is giving every LA more money for every pupil in 2018/19. Every school is attracting at least 0.5% per pupil more through the formula, compared to 2017/18. LAs have the flexibility to determine how this funding is distributed across schools in their local area, and this is right as the Department transitions towards the national funding formula. LAs can mirror the protections in the national funding formula, if they so choose, by setting the Minimum Funding Guarantee in their local formula up to +0.5%.

Teachers: Training

Stephen Timms: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, with reference to the Early Years Workforce Strategy published in March 2017, if he will make it his policy to implement a programme to increase the graduate early years workforce in disadvantaged areas.

Nadhim Zahawi: The government is considering the feasibility of a range of approaches to supporting graduates in the early years workforce. This work is still underway.

Disabled Students' Allowances

Mrs Louise Ellman: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, whether his Department plans to change its policy on the threshold for self-contribution of disabled students in receipt of Disabled Students' Allowance; and if he will make a statement.

Mr Sam Gyimah: The requirement that students in receipt of Disabled Students’ Allowance make a £200 contribution towards the costs of computer hardware was introduced in 2015. The government has no current plans to review the size of that contribution.

Special Educational Needs

Mrs Emma Lewell-Buck: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, how many special educational needs and disability students are there in (a) further and (b) higher education; and what proportion of those students have an Education, Health and Care Plan.

Anne Milton: The number of learners in further education that have declared themselves as being a learner with learning difficulties or disabilities (LLDD) in the 2016/17 academic year is 563,100. Of these, 35,200 had an education, health and care plan (EHCP). An additional 2,900 learners had an EHCP but did not self-declare themselves as being a learner with LLDD. The Individualised Learner Record does not hold information on statements of special educational need and disability, this is only collected for school pupils via the school census. The Higher Education Statistics Agency publishes data on enrolments in higher education at UK higher education institutions, including enrolments by disability. The latest data on numbers of students with disabilities, for the 2016/17 academic year, was published in January 2018 and is available at: https://www.hesa.ac.uk/data-and-analysis/students/table-15. Students on higher education courses do not hold EHCPs. In order to cease an EHCP a local authority must consider whether the educational or training outcomes specified in the plan have been achieved. Studying at degree level would be considered a positive outcome from an EHCP, and as such that plan would cease.

Apprentices: Taxation

Catherine McKinnell: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what the implications are for his policies on the apprenticeship levy of the recommendations in the April 2018 EEF report, A levy price to pay? The apprenticeship levy one year on; and if he will make a statement.

Anne Milton: The apprenticeship levy is an important part of our reforms - it means there is long-term investment in apprenticeship training so that employers get the skills they need. Nearly 60 per cent of people starting on the new apprenticeship standards are levy supported, showing that levy payers are working well with the new system.I recently met with EEF as part of a roundtable meeting to discuss how apprenticeships are working in the engineering and manufacturing sectors. We will continue to work closely with employers to support them to take advantage of the levy, and wider funding and quality reforms, to invest in the long-term skills needs of their business.We have recently seen an increase in the number of people starting on higher level apprenticeships, such as engineering and law, and on our new quality apprenticeship standards. These new apprenticeships are designed by employers themselves to meet their needs, and are within a wide range of industries. Higher quality training leads to increased productivity; so it is positive news that over 250 of the new standards have already been approved.Our reforms to the apprenticeship system are about increasing the number of quality apprenticeships in this country and creating the long-term investment in skills training that British businesses need to grow.

Teachers: Sick Leave

Luciana Berger: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, how many days of secondary education have been lost as a result of teacher absence due to work-related stress in each of the last three years.

Nick Gibb: The Department for Education has indicated that it will not be possible to answer this question within the usual time period. An answer is being prepared and will be provided as soon as it is available.

First Aid: Training

Tracy Brabin: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what steps his Department is taking to support first aid training being undertaken by (a) early years settings and (b) childminders.

Nadhim Zahawi: In 2016, following consultation, the department introduced a requirement in the Early Years Foundation Stage statutory framework (EYFS) for newly qualified level 2 and level 3 early years staff to also hold a current Paediatric First Aid (PFA) or emergency PFA certificate. Childminders, and any assistant who might be in sole charge of the children for any period of time, must also hold a full current PFA certificate:https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/early-years-foundation-stage-framework--2. In the same year we launched the voluntary Millie’s Mark quality scheme with the National Day Nurseries Association to recognise those settings that go over and above the statutory requirement of the EYFS by ensuring that all staff on site have PFA training:https://www.gov.uk/government/news/new-gold-standard-in-paediatric-first-aid-launched.

Free School Meals

Tracy Brabin: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, whether local authorities are permitted to refuse access to free school meals based on the age of a child.

Nadhim Zahawi: All children in reception, year 1 and year 2 in England's state-funded schools, including academies and free schools, are entitled to free school meals. Eligibility is based on the child’s year group rather than their age. For benefits-based free school meals, Section 512 of the Education Act 1996, as amended, places a duty on maintained schools, academies and free schools to provide free school meals to pupils of all ages that meet the criteria.

Schools: Greater London

Joan Ryan: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what estimate he has made of the number of (a) primary and (b) secondary schools in (i) the Enfield North constituency (ii) the London Borough of Enfield and (iii) London that will receive a reduction in (A) cash and (B) per pupil funding in each of the next five years.

Nick Gibb: In 2018/19, all schools in Enfield North attracted more cash funding through the national funding formula, compared to their 2017/18 baselines.All schools, with the exception of new and growing schools, attracted more per pupil funding. New and growing schools typically see their per pupil funding decrease as they grow in size, while receiving significant increases in their total budgets. One new and growing all-through school in Enfield, and 23 new and growing schools in London (18 primaries, 3 secondaries and 2 all-through) attract less funding per pupil in 2018-19 than they did in 2017-18.Final decisions on individual schools’ budgets are taken by the local authority, based on the local funding formula.In 2019/20, no school will attract reduced cash funding per pupil through the national funding formula. Given that funding follows the pupil, individual schools may attract less funding in total if the number of pupils on roll decreases. The Department will publish notional funding formula allocations for 2019/20 later this year after updating calculations using the latest autumn census data.Funding after 2019/20 will depend on the outcomes of the next Spending Review.

Ministry of Justice

Prison Officers: Crimes of Violence

Richard Burgon: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, how many prison officers required hospital treatment as a result of an assault at work in 2017.

Richard Burgon: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, how many prison officers required hospital treatment as a result of an assault at work in the first three months of 2018.

Rory Stewart: Between April and December 2017 prison officers attended hospital for treatment following 741 incidents of assault. This information was not recorded for incidents that occurred before April 2017, and data for the first three months of 2018 is not yet available. These figures have been drawn from the HMPPS Incident Reporting System, and while care is taken when processing and analysing returns, the detail is subject to the inaccuracies inherent in any large-scale recording system. We are taking urgent action to make prisons safer, and assaults on our hardworking staff will never be tolerated. We are ensuring that prison officers have the tools they need to do their jobs by rolling out body worn cameras, 'police-style' handcuffs and restraints, and trialling PAVA incapacitant spray.

Prison Officers: Length of Service

Jo Stevens: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what proportion of prison officers have (a) 0-1, (b) 1-3, (c) 3-5 (d) 5 -10 and (e) over 10 years of continuous service in the prison service as of January 2018.

Rory Stewart: We are significantly exceeding our prison officer recruitment targets, which is vital to ensuring prisons are safe, secure and decent so they can successfully rehabilitate offenders. But it is also important that we retain experienced staff members, and we continue to work with governors to ensure this happens. Snapshot figures are taken for the last working day of the month. Figures on the length of service of band 3-5 prison officers as at 31 December 2017 can be found in Table 1: Table 1: Proportion of band 3-5 prison officers in post by length of service (full time equivalent), as at 31 December 2017 Completed years of service131-Dec-2017Band 3-5 Officers2Under 1 year18.9%1-214.8%3-42.3%5-99.2%10 years and over54.7% 1 Length of service in HMPPS calculated from most recent hire date. Where staff have transferred in from another Government Department or have transferred in through HMPPS taking over a function, length of service is calculated from entry to HMPPS.2 Includes Band 3-4 / Prison Officer (incl specialists), Band 4 / Supervising Officer and Band 5 / Custodial Managers.

Legal Aid Scheme: Immigration

Richard Burgon: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, pursuant to the Answer of 19 April 2018 to Question 135134 on legal aid scheme: immigration, how many immigration law access points there are in each region.

Richard Burgon: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, pursuant to the Answer of 19 April 2018 to Question 135134 on legal aid scheme: immigration, in (a) how many areas and (b) which areas were one or fewer compliant tenders received in response to the Legal Aid Agency's recent tender process.

Lucy Frazer: Immigration and Asylum regions, procurement areas and access points from 1 September 2018RegionProcurement areaNumber of access pointsAccess points London and South East EnglandLondon and South East England6BuckinghamshireHampshire, Southampton, Portsmouth & Isle of WightLondonMid, South West and Coastal KentOxfordshire & BerkshireSurrey & SussexMidlands and East of EnglandMidlands and East of England7Bedfordshire & South HertfordshireCambridgeshire & NorthamptonshireCity of LeicesterCity of Stoke-on-TrentCoventryGreater Nottingham, Derby & South DerbyshireSouth Staffordshire, Sandwell and BirminghamNorth East, Yorkshire and the HumberNorth East, Yorkshire and the Humber4County Durham East, Teesside, Tyne & Wear and GatesheadSouth YorkshireWest YorkshireCity of Kingston upon HullNorth West EnglandNorth West England3East & West LancashireGreater ManchesterMerseysideSouth West EnglandSouth West England 3City of Bristol, Gloucestershire and North SomersetCity of Plymouth and DevonSwindonCardiffWales3Bridgend, Cardiff and South East WalesNeath Port Talbot and SwanseaNorth East Wales The LAA received one or fewer compliant tenders in 6 Immigration and Asylum access points, as follows:Hampshire, Southampton, Portsmouth & Isle of WightCity of Kingston upon HullEast & West LancashireSwindonCity of Plymouth and DevonNorth East Wales

Legal Aid Scheme: Immigration

Richard Burgon: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, how many immigration law legal aid providers there were in each year since 2010, broken down by procurement area.

Richard Burgon: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, how many immigration law legal aid providers there were in each at each access point in each year since 2010.

Lucy Frazer: The number of offices holding a legal aid contract in the immigration category according to which procurement area and access point area they fell under is shown below. The Lord Chancellor has confirmed that we are conducting an evidence-based review which will examine the impact of the changes made by LASPO including those on providers. Procurement Area NameAccess Point Name2010/112011/122012/132013/142014/152015/162016/172017/182018/19CedarsNon Fast Track2222 London and South East EnglandBerkshire232  London and South East EnglandBuckinghamshire333222222London and South East EnglandHampshire111  London and South East EnglandHampshire, Southampton, Portsmouth & Isle of Wight  334222London and South East EnglandLondon13013512617416214513111998London and South East EnglandMid and South West Kent222  London and South East EnglandMid, South West and Coastal Kent  444444London and South East EnglandOxfordshire122  London and South East EnglandOxfordshire & Berkshire   444322London and South East EnglandPortsmouth & Isle of Wight11   London and South East EnglandSouthampton222  London and South East EnglandSurrey333  London and South East EnglandSurrey & Sussex   444321London and South East EnglandSussex222  London and South East EnglandThe Kent Coast 11  Midlands and East of EnglandBedfordshire556  Midlands and East of EnglandBedfordshire & South Hertfordshire  121110866Midlands and East of EnglandCambridgeshire221  Midlands and East of EnglandCambridgeshire & Northamptonshire  761111Midlands and East of EnglandCity of Leicester443765442Midlands and East of EnglandCity of Stoke-on-Trent222321111Midlands and East of EnglandCoventry553555554Midlands and East of EnglandDerby and South Derbyshire11   Midlands and East of EnglandGreater Nottingham333  Midlands and East of EnglandGreater Nottingham, Derby & South Derbyshire  11105333Midlands and East of EnglandNorfolk111  Midlands and East of EnglandNorthamptonshire321  Midlands and East of EnglandSouth Hertfordshire222  Midlands and East of EnglandSouth Staffordshire, Sandwell and Birmingham152219393428252422Midlands and East of EnglandSuffolk111  North East, Yorkshire and the HumberCounty Durham East and Teesside353  North East, Yorkshire and the HumberCounty Durham East, Teesside, Tyne & Wear and Gateshead  151513121110North East, Yorkshire and the HumberSouth Yorkshire79815131211109North East, Yorkshire and the HumberTyne & Wear and Gateshead555  North East, Yorkshire and the HumberWest Yorkshire81312302622222220North West EnglandEast & West Lancashire3323311  North West EnglandGreater Manchester91110343226212016North West EnglandMerseyside33210108775South West EnglandCity of Bristol, Gloucestershire and North Somerset  987777South West EnglandCity of Bristol, South Gloucestershire and North Somerset344  South West EnglandCity of Plymouth212  South West EnglandCity of Plymouth and Devon   667665South West EnglandGloucestershire111  WalesBridgend, Cardiff and South East Wales555121110999WalesNeath Port Talbot and Swansea222222211WalesNorth East Wales 12222221Grand Total 242268244413383330294272231

Road Traffic Offences: Reviews

Thelma Walker: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, with reference to the to the answer of 15 January 2016 to question 21522, on Road Traffic Offences: Reviews, when the Government plans to begin its review of driving offences; and whether it plans to complete the full review before consulting on introducing new driving offences.

Rory Stewart: On 5 December 2016 the government launched a consultation on driving offences and penalties relating to causing death and serious injury. This ran until 1 February 2017 and received over 9,000 responses. The government response to the consultation was published on 16 October 2017 and can be found at https://www.gov.uk/government/consultations/driving-offences-and-penalties-relating-to-causing-death-or-serious-injury. The government is committed to making sure that the courts have sufficient powers to deal with driving offences appropriately and proportionately. We will bring forward proposals for changes in the law as soon as parliamentary time allows. These proposals will take account of, and incorporate, all of government’s proposals for safer roads, including those arising from the Department of Transport’s review of cycle safety.

Prison Officers: Re-employment

Richard Burgon: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, how many prison officers who took voluntary early departure have been re-recruited by HM Prison Service in each year since 2010.

Rory Stewart: The number of band 3-5 prison officers who took voluntary early departure and have since re-joined the Prison Service can be seen in the table below. The government has passed its target to recruit an additional 2,500 prison officers by the end of 2018 – seven months early. An additional 3,111 prison officers were in place at the end of March 2018 than were in post in October 2016. Continuing to boost staffing numbers is crucial as it will allow prisons to introduce a new model where prison officers spend more time both one-to-one and with small groups of prisoners. Band 3-5 prison officers who took voluntary early departure and have since re-joined the Prison Service, 2010/11 to 2017/18 (1 April 2017-31 December 2017)  HeadcountRestart dateNumber of band 3-5 prison officers2010/1132011/1242012/13~2013/1492014/151062015/16402016/17351 April 2017-31 December 201714 Notes:1. Voluntary exits can be offered where the organisation wishes to reduce staff numbers by offering an early exit scheme or an early exit package to an individual. There is no compulsion on individuals to accept the offer.2. The time periods shown reflect the date of when the staff re-joined the Prison Service, and not when the voluntary early departure was taken.3. Figures include 73 individuals that re-joined as a reserve.~ denotes suppressed values of 2 or fewer or other values which would allow values of 2 or fewer to be derived by subtraction. Low numbers are suppressed to prevent disclosure in accordance with the Data Protection Act, 1998.

Family Proceedings: Legal Representation

Richard Burgon: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, in how many cases one or more parents appearing in court hearings on the custody of their children have been unrepresented in each year since 2010.

Lucy Frazer: The information requested is not available as data on the legal representation of parties is not broken down into different types of proceedings concerning children.

Immigration: Appeals

Catherine West: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what proportion of immigration appeals were overturned at tribunal in each of the last seven years.

Lucy Frazer: The proportion of immigration and asylum appeals allowed in each of the last seven years is published in quarterly statistics:www.gov.uk/government/statistics/tribunals-and-gender-recognition-certificate-statistics-quarterly-october-to-december-2017

Treasury

Immigrants: Caribbean

Kate Green: To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, whether his Department has allocated additional funding for the Windrush generation compensation scheme.

Elizabeth Truss: As the Home Secretary has set out, the Government is committed to putting right the wrongs experienced by the Windrush generation, and is clear that where people have suffered loss they will be compensated. The Home Office is working through the detail of what this scheme will look like, including potential costs to the department.

Taxation: Credit Cards

Philip Davies: To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, if he will make an assessment of the potential merits of re-introducing the ability to pay personal tax by credit card.

Mel Stride: HMRC accepts payment by credit card on the basis that there is no cost to the public purse. It achieves this by passing the fees charged by the card issuer back to the customer. The Payment Services Directive 2 (PSD2) which came into effect on 13 January 2018 means that HMRC can no longer do this where a customer uses a personal credit card. After careful consideration, HMRC made the decision to stop accepting payment by this method. In 2016/17 personal credit cards only accounted for 0.2% of payments made to HMRC by value. Fees associated with these payments were expected to be on average £5.5m per annum going forward. To continue accepting personal credit cards HMRC would have to fund the payment of fees from the public purse. This means customers paying by other methods would be cross-subsidising those who benefit from facilities provided by credit card issuers in exchange for fees, including deferring the payment date and collecting rewards.

Taxation: Domicil

Tom Brake: To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, pursuant to the Answer of 27 April 2018 to Question 136770, on Taxation: Domicil, for what reason the latest figures available are over three yeas old.

Mel Stride: Individuals register their non-UK domiciled status with HMRC via the Self Assessment process.The deadline for individuals to file Self Assessment returns relating to the tax year 2015-16 was 31 January 2017. Information about non-UK domiciled taxpayers for this tax year is not yet available to allow for a proportion of individuals who file their Self Assessment returns after the deadline. In accordance with the Code of Practice for Official Statistics the release of these statistics has been pre-announced for release in June 2018.The deadline for individuals to file Self Assessment returns relating to the tax year 2016-17 was 31 January 2018. Consequently insufficient time has so far elapsed to allow for reliable figures to be published.The deadline for individuals to file Self Assessment returns relating to the tax year 2017-18 is 31 January 2019. Information is therefore not yet available because the deadline for returns has not yet passed.

Multinational Companies: Tax Avoidance

Frank Field: To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, what forecast he has made of the tax revenues to be raised by the Government's anti-avoidance provisions in relation to multi-national tech companies due to be introduced in 2019.

Mel Stride: At Autumn Budget 2017, the Government announced an extension of UK withholding tax on royalty payments made to low or no tax jurisdictions.This measure is another step towards the Government’s longer term ambition of domestic and international reform of the taxation of digital businesses. Whilst this measure will predominantly affect digital businesses, it may also affect groups operating in other sectors.As announced at the Budget, this measure is forecast to raise £800m over four years.

Red Diesel: Excise Duties

Dr David Drew: To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, whether he plans to review the taxation of red diesel.

Robert Jenrick: At Spring Statement 2018, the Chancellor announced a call for evidence, jointly with the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, into whether red diesel for non-road mobile machinery discourages the purchase of cleaner alternatives. Red diesel for agricultural use will be out of scope, as will fishing vessels, home heating and other static generators. The consultation document will be published shortly.

Child Tax Credit: Motherwell and Wishaw

Marion Fellows: To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, how many households in receipt of child tax credit have had their payments reduced as a result of the two-child tax credit limit in the Motherwell and Wishaw constituency; and what savings have accrued to the public purse as a result of the introduction of that limit in that constituency.

Elizabeth Truss: The information is not held and could only be collected at disproportionate cost. However, the government published an impact assessment in July 2015 which shows the number of Child Tax Credit or Universal Credit claimants who were expected to be affected by the policy over the next five years and the estimated savings from the change. The impact assessment is available at: https://www.parliament.uk/documents/impact-assessments/IA15-006E.pdf

Taxation: Environment Protection

Anna McMorrin: To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, whether his Department plans to reinstate a carbon price escalator from the 2020s onwards.

Robert Jenrick: As announced in Autumn Budget 2017, the government will target a Total Carbon Price similar to the value at the time until unabated coal is no longer used in power generation.

Oil: Taxation

Andrew Bowie: To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, what progress has been made on introducing a transferable tax history mechanism for oil producers for deals that complete on or after 1 November 2018.

Robert Jenrick: As announced at Autumn Budget 2017, the government will introduce a Transferable Tax History for oil & gas companies. This will give investors in UK oil and gas fields certainty that they will be able to get tax relief for decommissioning assets, and encourage new investment. This mechanism will be available for deals where the transfer of the licence has been approved by the Oil & Gas Authority on or after 1 November 2018. This was set out in “An outline of transferable tax history”, published alongside the Budget: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/an-outline-of-transferrable-tax-history Draft legislation will be published in the next couple of months for technical consultation.

Children: Day Care

Ellie Reeves: To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, pursuant to the Answer of 1 May 2018 to Question 138522, how many applications for 30 hours of free childcare have been processed in the last three months for which data is available.

Elizabeth Truss: In the three months to 1 May 2018 over 62,000 new applications for 30 hours free childcare were processed. This includes applications where the parent was found not to be eligible for 30 hours free childcare.

Mortgages: Interest Rates

Theresa Villiers: To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, what estimate he has made of the amount of additional tax landlords will pay as a result of changes to the tax treatment of mortgage interest.

Mel Stride: The most recent estimate for the fiscal impact of the changes to the tax treatment of mortgage interest for individual landlords was published in Table 2.2 at the time of Autumn Budget 2017. The Table can be accessed through the “Autumn Budget 2017: documents” webpage (https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/autumn-budget-2017-documents).

Mortgages: Interest Rates

Theresa Villiers: To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, what proportion of landlords will pay more tax as a result of changes to the taxation arrangements for mortgage interest payments.

Mel Stride: Using income tax self-assessment data, HMRC estimates that 1 in 5 landlords will pay more tax as a result of the changes to taxation arrangements for mortgage interest payments.

Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government

Construction: Trading Standards

Ronnie Cowan: To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what steps his Department is taking to ensure that trading standards officers enforce the Construction Products Regulations.

Dominic Raab: As part of the Independent Review of Building Regulations and Fire Safety, Dame Judith Hackitt is considering the role of products used in construction, and the potential impact on building safety. The review has a particular focus on the construction products used in multi-occupancy, high-rise residential buildings. An interim report was published in 18 December 2017, and a final report will be published in Spring 2018. We will consider any recommendations made by the Review in this area and how they interact with the requirements of the Construction Product Regulations.

Public Lavatories: Railway Stations

Nic Dakin: To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what discussions his Department has had with the Department for Transport on increasing the number of changing places toilet facilities at National Rail stations.

Dominic Raab: Officials from the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government have discussed with the Department for Transport the provision of Changing Places toilets. Both Departments have met to talk to representatives of the Changing Places consortium to review current and forecast provision in National Rail stations.

Housing Revenue Accounts

John Healey: To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what restrictions he places on the type of housing that is included in local authorities' housing revenue accounts.

Mrs Heather Wheeler: The type of housing that is included in local authorities' housing revenue accounts is prescribed by the terms of Section 74 of the Local Government and Housing Act 1989.

Local Government Finance

Catherine McKinnell: To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, with reference to the oral evidence given by the Chancellor of the Exchequer to the Treasury Committee on 25 April 2018, on the work of the Chancellor of the Exchequer, if he will break down the £23 billion in reserves held by local authorities and identify the proportion of those reserves that are unearmarked or not ring-fenced.

Rishi Sunak: Of the £23.1 billion in revenue reserves held by English local authorities as of 31 March 2017, non-ringfenced reserves make up £21.0 billion and have increased by 47 per cent since 31 March 2011.Of this, unallocated reserves amount to around £4.2 billion. It is for individual local authorities to decide on the level of unearmaked reserves that they should hold, based on their known financial commitments and risk appetite.Reserves data is published in Table 7 as part of MHCLG’s Local Authority Revenue Expenditure and Financing:2016-17 Final Outturn, England data publication.

Building Regulations and Fire Safety Independent Review

John Healey: To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what the timetable is for the final publication of the report of the Hackitt Review.

Mrs Heather Wheeler: Dame Judith Hackitt's review into Building Regulations and Fire Safety final report is expected to be published in late Spring 2018.

Housing

John Healey: To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, pursuant to the Answer of 27 April to Question 137017 on Housing, if it remains his policy that the Homes and Communities Agency publish quarterly updates for the 2015 to 2018 Affordable Homes Programme.

Mrs Heather Wheeler: The Affordable Homes Programme 2015 - 2018 is closed for bidding and has been replaced by The Shared Ownership and Affordable Homes Programme 2016-21. The publication of allocations data is a matter for Homes England. The first set of allocations from the 2016-2021 Programme can be found here: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/affordable-homes-programme-2016-to-2021-successful-bidders.

Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government: Procurement

Alex Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, if his Department will take steps to encourage local authorities to adopt an outcomes-based approach to procurement to help (a) tackle societal challenges and (b) (i) small businesses and (ii) start-ups to win more contracts.

Rishi Sunak: Local authorities are independent contracting authorities and are therefore responsible for their own procurement decisions. In doing this, they must of course, comply with the legislative framework. This includes considering social value under the Public Services (Social Value) Act 2012. This requires public authorities, including local authorities, to have regard to economic, social and environmental well-being in connection to public services contracts. Local authorities extend this this all contracts through the National Procurement Strategy.

Community Infrastructure Levy

Neil O'Brien: To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what the value was of Section 106 and Community Infrastructure Levy planning obligations agreed to in each year since 2010-11; and what proportion of that value was attributed to (a) direct payments, (b) affordable housing and (c) other types of contributions.

Neil O'Brien: To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what the value was of Community Infrastructure Levy planning obligations agreed to in each year since 2010-11.

Dominic Raab: The Government does not hold data for every year since 2010-11. In March this year we published a study on “The Incidence, Value and Delivery of Planning Obligations and Community Infrastructure Levy in England 2016-17”. This found that last year Section 106 planning obligations with an estimated value of £5.1 billion had been agreed, including an estimated £4 billion in affordable housing contributions, and that the value of Community Infrastructure Levy (CIL) levied by local authorities was £0.9 billion.Of the £4 billion agreed through Section 106 affordable housing contributions, it is estimated that £75 million was agreed to be delivered through commuted sums towards off-site provision, and the remainder through on-site provision. For other Section 106 planning obligations excluding land contribution, it is estimated that obligations to the value of £613.1 million were agreed in direct contributions, and £72.1 million in payment in-kind contributions.Local authorities received £286 million in CIL revenue during 2016/17, £135 million was received in 2015/16, £49 million in 2014/15, £10 million in in 2013/14, £1 million in 2012/13 and £15,000 in 2011/12. There were no CIL charging authorities in 2010/11. In addition, The Mayor of London’s CIL, which is charged to help fund Crossrail, raised £137 million in 2016/17, £119 million in 2015/16, £73 million in 2014/15, £47 million in 2013/14 and £6 million in 2012/13.

Police: Finance

Grahame Morris: To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, if the will bring forward legislative proposals to enable Police and Crime Commissioners to vary the Police precept to introduce greater increases for people living in higher- banded properties.

Rishi Sunak: In England, homes are allocated one of eight property bands. Each band is a fixed proportion of the band D amount charged by each council tax-setting authority, including police and crime commissioners. The Government has no plans to change these arrangements.

Housing: Construction

John Healey: To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what target he has set for the number of starter homes to be built in the 2017 Parliament.

John Healey: To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what estimate his Department has made of the number of new starter homes which will be built in each of the next five years.

Dominic Raab: We are supporting people's aspirations to buy through a range of initiatives including Help to Buy, Right to Buy, greater funding for Shared Ownership and Rent to Buy, and our plans for starter homes. Since Spring 2010 Government-backed schemes have helped over 460,000 households to buy a home and the number of first-time buyers is at a nine-year annual high. At Autumn Budget, the Government announced a stamp duty exemption for most first-time buyers.The definition of a starter home is currently being finalised as part of the revised draft National Planning Policy Framework which we are consulting on. The consultation ends on 10 May and can be found at https://www.gov.uk/government/consultations/draft-revised-national-planning-policy-frameworkFollowing this, we expect to make an announcement on the next steps for starter homes.

Right to Buy Scheme: Housing Associations

Stephen McPartland: To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what the timetable is for the roll out of Right to Buy to all Housing Association tenants.

Mrs Heather Wheeler: The Government is committed to ensuring housing association tenants have the opportunity to own their homes, and the Midlands pilot announced at Autumn Budget 2017 is a clear demonstration of that. The pilot will launch in the Summer, and will give thousands more housing association tenants the opportunity to enjoy the benefits of home ownership.

Public Lavatories: Non-domestic Rates

Craig Mackinlay: To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what plans his Department has to exempt public conveniences owned or managed by (a) parish and (b) town councils from national non-domestic rates.

Rishi Sunak: The Government recognises the importance of public toilets as a valuable community amenity and encourages local authorities to keep them open to the public. We are keeping under review the need for any further action to support local authorities, including parish and town councils, in doing so.

High Rise Flats: Vauxhall

Kate Hoey: To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, if he will take steps to ensure that (a) leaseholders at Malt House and Palm House in Vauxhall constituency and (b) other leaseholders do not have to pay for recladding of their blocks built by Bellway Homes.

Mrs Heather Wheeler: We have made clear that building owners should do all they can to protect leaseholders from costs relating to interim measures and cladding remediation – either funding it themselves or looking at ways to recoup the costs such as insurance claims, warranties or legal action.It is important that leaseholders are able to access specialist advice to understand their rights. The Government announced on 4 December that the Department is providing additional funding to the Leasehold Advisory Service (LEASE), who provide free, initial and tailored advice to those affected, including a dedicated advice line and outreach to ensure they are aware of their rights and are supported to understand the terms of their leases.The Department is keeping the situation for leaseholders under review.

Ministry of Defence

Ministry of Defence Police

Mr Kevan Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what estimate he has made of the savings that need to be accrued by his Department's (a) Head Office and (b) Corporate Services in relation to the work of the Ministry of Defence Police.

Mr Tobias Ellwood: Holding answer received on 01 May 2018



There are no savings that need to be accrued by the Head Office and Corporate Services Top Level Budget in relation to the Ministry of Defence Police.

Military Aircraft: Safety

Adam Holloway: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, how many safety occurrence reports have been raised on the Boeing E-3 Sentry from January 1991 to date.

Guto Bebb: There have been 1,632 air safety occurrence reports recorded for the E-3D Sentry fleet from January 1991 to date.

Submarines

Nia Griffith: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, how many submarines are awaiting recycling at (a) Rosyth and (b) Devonport.

Nia Griffith: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what estimate he has made of the annual cost to the public purse of storing each submarine awaiting recycling at (a) Rosyth and (b) Devonport.

Guto Bebb: There are currently seven submarines awaiting recycling at Rosyth, with a further 13 at Devonport. The annual cost varies depending on the level of maintenance required.

Navy: Military Exercises

Mr Kevan Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, which named military exercises were conducted by Royal Navy and Royal Fleet Auxiliary vessels from January 2017 to date.

Mark Lancaster: From available records the named Military Exercises conducted by Royal Navy and Royal Fleet Auxiliary ships from January 2017 to 4 May 2018 was as follows:Exercise Cougar Voyage Exercise Artemis TridentExercise Sea Khanjar Exercise BaltopsExercise Azraq Serpent Exercise Trade Winds 17Exercise Unified Trident Exercise Dynamic MongooseExercise Dynamic Guard Exercise BreezeExercise Aman Exercise GrampusExercise Khunjar Hadd 17 Exercise Saxon WarriorExercise East Dolphin Exercise Joint Warrior 172Exercise Joint Warrior 171 Exercise Brilliant MarinerExercise Alligator Dagger Exercise Dogu AkdenizExercise Formidable Shield Exercise Intrepid StentinelExercise Samurai Blade Exercise NiriisExercise Konkan Exercise NusretExercise Azraq Serpent 18 Exercise Sea ExplorerExercise Khanjar Hadd 18 Exercise AriadneExercise Dynamic Manta Exercise Ssang YongExercise Joint Warrior 181It is UK policy that we do not comment on matters relating to submarine activity or operations as this would, or would be likely to, prejudice the capability, effectiveness or security of the Armed Forces.Notes: Some passing exercises undertaken with other nations are not named.

Defence Fire Risk Management Organisation: Staff

Nia Griffith: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, how many (a) military and (b) civil service staff the Defence Fire Risk Management Organisation employs at which locations.

Mr Tobias Ellwood: The Defence Fire Risk Management Organisation employs 575 military firefighters and 778 Civil Service firefighters and support staff. These are broken down by location below: Military Firefighters LocationStrengthArmy HQ Andover5Brunei Garrison7Manston20Mount Pleasant Airfield32HQ Joint Forces Command1Portsmouth (HQ & training)17RAF Akrotiri52RAF Benson31RAF Brize-Norton80RAF Coningsby35RAF Halton1RAF High Wycombe2RAF Honnington4RAF Marham39RAF Northolt34RAF Odiham38RAF Lossiemouth31RAF Waddington58RAF Wittering4RNAS Culdrose36RNAS Yeovilton42RNAS Culdrose & Yeovilton6Total575 Civil Servant firefighters & support staffLocation StrengthAldergrove Flying Station25DFTDC Manston38Defence Munitions Longtown24HMNB Clyde61Leuchars Station28Middle Wallop Airfield39MOD Biecester27MOD Corsham33MOD Credenhill22MOD Donnington30MOD Kineton23RAF Alconbury35RAF Boulmer22RAF Croughton16RAF Cosford13RAF Fairford19RAF Fylingdales22RAF Lakenheath19RAF Leeming29RAF Linton-on-Ouse26RAF Lossiemouth29RAF Menwith Hill37RAF Mildenhall18RAF Shawbury28RAF Spadeadam10Wattisham Airfield28HQ & Safety cells77Total778

Defence Fire Risk Management Organisation: Staff

Nia Griffith: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, how many people have been recruited into civilian posts in the Defence Fire Risk Management Organisation in each of the last five years.

Mr Tobias Ellwood: The number of personnel recruited into civilian posts in the Defence Fire Risk Management Organisation in the last five years is given below: YearTotal2017-18472016-17342015-16202014-1502013-149

Defence Fire and Rescue Service

Nia Griffith: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, when the Defence Fire and Rescue Project (DFRP) began; and how many staff are part of the DFRP Project team.

Mr Tobias Ellwood: The initial Gate Business Case approving the formation of the existing Defence Fire and Rescue Project team was approved in September 2013. The Project is led by a Director level (SCS Payband 2) Senior Responsible Owner and the project team consists of 14 people. The project has also drawn on advice and relevant subject matter experts from across Defence and the Armed Forces, including the Defence Fire and Rescue Management Organisation.

Defence Fire Risk Management Organisation: Staff

Nia Griffith: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, on how many occasions Defence Fire Risk Management Organisation staff have been deployed in support of local authority fire services in each of the last five years.

Mr Tobias Ellwood: Defence Fire Risk Management Organisation personnel and assets deployed to support local authority fire services within the UK on the following number of occasions in the last five years: YearTotal201727201630201524201436201343 Any future contract will retain similar provision to support local authority fire services.

Ministry of Defence: Cleaning Services

Catherine West: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, pursuant to the oral contribution of the Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Defence of 23 April 2018, Official Report, columns 596-7, on Departmental Staff: Wages and Conditions, what the rates of pay are for cleaners in his Department.

Mr Tobias Ellwood: All of the Department's cleaners are paid, at a minimum, the national living wage in accordance with statutory rights.Cleaning within the Ministry of Defence is undertaken through estate maintenance contracts and therefore information on the rates of pay for cleaners is held by a number of third parties and not by the Department.

Air Training Corps: Stoke Newington

David Simpson: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what steps he is taking to ensure that the 296 Stoke Newington Air Training Corps will be relocated following the closure of the site on the Albion Road.

Mr Tobias Ellwood: I am pleased to be able to confirm that 296 (Stoke Newington) Squadron Air Training Corps will continue to operate from its existing premises, with a review period of 12 months.

Department for Work and Pensions

Poverty: Children

Mr Stephen Hepburn: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what assessment she has made of trends in the level of child poverty in the North East.

Kit Malthouse: National statistics on the percentage of children in low income are set out in the annual "Households Below Average Income" publication. Figures on the percentage of children in low income in the North East can be found in the link below, in table 4.16ts for relative low income, and 4.22ts for absolute low income. These are split into before housing costs (BHC) and after housing costs (AHC). Due to small sample sizes at a regional level, figures are available as three-year rolling averages. https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/692047/children-hbai-timeseries-1994-95-2016-17-tables.ods

Disability Living Allowance: Children

Gareth Snell: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how many children under the age of 16 had a claim rejected for disability living allowance in each of the last three years.

Sarah Newton: Entitlements to Child DLA awards are not determined by specific disabilities or diagnosis; instead entitlement is determined by the effects which a disability or long term health condition has on a person’s life. These are all factors to be taken into consideration when looking at the number of Child DLA new claim rejections. The Department for Work and Pensions has specially trained case managers who examine comprehensive claimant forms and supporting evidence provided to decide the extent to which the condition affects the mobility and care needs of the claimant (this is what the assessment is based on). Case managers have access to a comprehensive medical guidance and, where consent is provided, can directly contact named professionals in the claim form to obtain additional information required to make an accurate decision. Applicants who believe they have not received the correct level of DLA award(s) can seek for a mandatory reconsideration, where their claim will be looked at again. Please see the table below which shows the total number of children under the age of 16, who had a claim rejected and awarded for Disability Living Allowance in each of the last three years. Disability Living Allowance (DLA) Child - Number of New Claims Rejected and AwardedDLA Child New Claim Rejections2015/162016/172017/1824,73427,70333,951DLA Child New Claims Awarded71,12973,18678,814  Source:Disability Living Allowance Computer System (DLACS) Notes:Data taken from MUs 26, 31, 81 and 84New Claims - includes Normal Rules and Special Rules Please note that the data supplied are derived from unpublished management information which was collected for internal Departmental use only, and have not been quality assured to National Statistics or Official Statistics publication standard. They should therefore be treated with caution.

Disability Living Allowance: Children

Gareth Snell: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how many children under the age of 16 received disability living allowance after a successful appeal.

Sarah Newton: The latest appeals data that is available is to December 2017. This data is therefore from April 2017 – December 2017 (the latest financial year up to which data is available). There were 2,520 (data rounded to the nearest 10) cases in the time period outlined for children under 16 years of age that went to appeal and were subsequently awarded DLA. It is important to note that that this figure includes appeals where the award rate was not necessarily increased, but is still considered a successful appeal (i.e. the award changes from lower rate care to lower rate mobility or vice versa), as well as appeals where the award rate increases.

Disability Living Allowance: Children

Gareth Snell: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how many children under the age of 16 that were in receipt of disability ilving allowance were not entitled to claim personal independence payment when they reached 16 years of age.

Sarah Newton: Personal Independence Payment is a different benefit from Disability Living Allowance with a different eligibility criteria. Therefore, in some cases, individuals will find a change in the amount of support they are entitled to following reassessment. The Department has published information on the number of children under the age of 16, who were in receipt of Disability Living Allowance and not entitled to Personal Independence Payment when they reached 16 years of age. This can be found at:https://stat-xplore.dwp.gov.uk/ By filtering on age and reassessment indicator in the PIP clearances table, then tabulating the disallowance type indicator you will be able to find the information requested. Guidance on how to extract the information required can be found at: https://sw.stat-xplore.dwp.gov.uk/webapi/online-help/Getting-Started---SuperWEB2.html

Universal Credit: Stoke on Trent

Gareth Snell: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what assessment her Department has made on the effect of the roll-out of universal credit on trends in the level of rent arrears in Stoke-on-Trent.

Kit Malthouse: Research shows that many people come onto Universal Credit with pre-existing rent arrears. We also know that arrears are usually temporary and the majority of claimants do succeed in paying their rent, managing their monthly payments and clearing their arrears over time. In our research, the proportion of Universal Credit claimants who were in arrears at the start of their claim fell by a third after four months. We are currently carrying out further analysis of this issue with a number of housing providers, to investigate and understand the true level of rent arrears for their tenants, what is causing them and any impacts Universal Credit may be having. It will be published when completed.

Children: Terminal Illnesses

Laura Smith: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what steps she is taking to support after the death of a terminally ill child parents who were not in work while caring for that child.

Sarah Newton: Any individual whose caring responsibilities cease because the person they are caring for has died, will receive an 8 week continuation of Carer’s Allowance, and where applicable a continuation of Income Support and any other benefit premiums that have been awarded as a result of the caring responsibility. There will also be an 8 week continuation of Child Benefit and Child Tax Credit (where applicable) paid. The 8 week continuation of benefit is designed to allow an individual to make any arrangements and or claims to benefit to ensure that they are not placed in financial hardship. If an individual is claiming Universal Credit that would otherwise stop following a bereavement they will, in some circumstances, receive a Bereavement run-on of up to three months. We will also make easements for mandatory work related requirements for a period following the death of a child where the claimant was the child’s parent. Where entitlement to the current benefit ceases or a new claim is required, the Department for Work and Pensions will support the individual to make a claim to the appropriate benefit. In addition, the Government recently announced the establishment of the Children’s Funeral Fund for England. Under this scheme, bereaved parents will no longer have to meet the costs of a burial or cremation. Bereaved parents on qualifying benefits may also receive a Funeral Expenses Payment to help towards the cost of a funeral. Interest-free Social Fund Budgeting Loans are also available for funeral costs.

Children: Terminal Illnesses

Laura Smith: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what estimate she has made of the number of people currently not in work following the death of a child for whom they were a long-term carer.

Sarah Newton: Although no statistics are kept on claims from former long-term carers of now deceased children, the benefit system does support people in such circumstances.

Poverty: Sanitary Protection

Richard Burden: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what estimate her Department has made of the number of women who are unable to afford sanitary products.

Kit Malthouse: Officials from the Department for Work and Pensions attend regular cross-departmental meetings about a range of issues linked to the availability and affordability of sanitary protection. This Department has not, however, made any estimates of the number of women who are unable to afford sanitary products, or collected any relevant data.

Department for Work and Pensions: Procurement

Jon Trickett: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, pursuant to the Answer of 27 April 2018 to Question 137451 on Department for Work and Pensions:Recruiment, what that Invitation to Tender was for.

Kit Malthouse: The Invitation to Tender referred to in the Answer of 27 April 2018 to Question 137451 was for Hashicorp enterprise software licences.

Universal Credit: Young People

Danielle Rowley: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how many people who previously were in receipt of disability premiums were found to have limited (a) capacity to work and (b) capability for work-related activity element when they began claiming Universal Credit on turning 20 years old.

Sarah Newton: The information requested is not readily available

Department for Work and Pensions: Living Wage

Frank Field: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, pursuant to the Answer of 23 April 2018 to Question 135694, how many and what proportion of the outsourced staff working on Estates contracts is represented by the 3,051 members of staff paid below the Living Wage or London Living Wage as defined by the Living Wage Foundation.

Kit Malthouse: Further to the reply from question 135694, we have updated the table below to include all outsourced staff working on estates contracts to include those under the age of 25 which have a lower Living Wage threshold and therefore were excluded from the previous response. The number and proportion of outsourced staff is therefore set out below.  Number of employees working on the DWP contractReal Living Wage* Voluntary for 18 and older  NationalLondonPercentage Sodexo17022012.9 %Interserve3,0802,014065.3%G4S3,1162,00244878.6%Cushman & Wakefield14000%Total6,3804,03844870.3% All staff receive the National Living Wage as defined by the Government.

Sick Leave: Stress

Luciana Berger: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what estimate her Department has made of the number of working days lost to the UK economy as a result of work-related stress in each of the last three years.

Sarah Newton: The latest available estimates are given below. They are published annually and show the estimated number of days lost (full day equivalent) due to self-reported stress, depression or anxiety, caused or made worse by work, for people working in the last 12 months in Great Britain. Figures are not separately available for the United Kingdom. YearEstimated days lost95% Confidence interval2014/159.9 million8.4m to 11.6m2015/1611.7 million9.6m to 13.7m2016/1712.5 million10.5m to 14.6m Source: Labour Force Survey (LFS)

Pension Funds: Ethics

Anna McMorrin: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, whether her Department has made an assessment of the potential merits of introducing a legal duty to consider environmental, social and governance risks as part of fiduciary duty for pension fund trustees.

Guy Opperman: As I noted in my letter of 15 February to the Environmental Audit Committee, which has since been published on the Parliament website, I plan to consult on policy and regulations to clarify the legal duty of trustees of occupational pension schemes to take account of environmental, social and governance risks, amongst others, wherever these are financially material. My current intention is to publish a consultation in June.

Disability: Equal Pay

Catherine McKinnell: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, pursuant to the Answer of 24 April 2018 to Question 137542, on disability: equal pay, what steps her Department is taking to encourage employers to sign up to the Disability Confident scheme.

Sarah Newton: 5,964 employers are currently signed up to Disability Confident and 2,551 employers have completed their self-assessment to become Disability Confident Employers (Level 2). This includes organisations ranging in size from large multi nationals to local employers, including private businesses, colleges, sports clubs, NHS trusts and social enterprises. All main government Departments are at Level 3 (Disability Confident Leader) and over 80% of Local Authorities are Disability Confident. The Disability Confident Business Leaders Group (BLG), comprising senior leaders from significant British businesses across all sectors, is helping to increase engagement with employers. The group promotes the business benefits of disability employment and works with DWP officials to identify any changes or developments that will improve the effectiveness of the scheme. We are also working with Members of Parliament around the country to arrange local events to get them as employers, and businesses in their constituencies, signed up.

Universal Credit

Stephen Timms: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what the timeframe is for people to backdate a claim for universal credit in the event that decision on the claim was delayed as a result of error on the part of her Department.

Alok Sharma: The guidance on back-dating a claim to Universal Credit is set out in the Advice for Decision Maker’s Guide at paragraphs A2043-2045: https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/602462/adma2.pdf. The maximum period for back-dating is one month.If a claim has been delayed due to error, DWP can also consider awarding an ex-gratia payment, as set out in the guide on Financial Redress for Maladministration, which can be accessed at: https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/671381/financial-redress-for-maladministration-dwp-staff-guide.pdf

Universal Credit

Stephen Timms: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what transitional protection is provided to claimants with disabilities who lose their entitlement to disability premiums when they transfer to universal credit.

Sarah Newton: Transitional protection will be there for those with existing premiums who are moved over to Universal Credit as part of the managed migration process, whose overall Universal Credit entitlement would be less than under the old system, provided that their circumstances remain the same. This means at the time they move, their financial situation remains steady. We will be starting managed migration of existing benefit claimants to Universal Credit from 2019 and this will be completed by 2022.

Immigrants: Caribbean

Stephen Timms: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what steps she is taking to ensure that members of the Windrush generation receive the benefits to which they are entitled in the event that they are unable to provide documents to prove their citizenship.

Alok Sharma: DWP officials are working with the Home Office and other Government bodies to help individuals affected and ensure that they are able to access the benefits and services to which they are entitled. DWP has arranged a fast-track service into the Home Office Taskforce to confirm swiftly the status of people from the Windrush generation who are unable to provide documentation in support of their benefit claim.

Universal Credit

Stephen Timms: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, if she will make it her policy that weekly repayments which are deducted from universal credit for past overpayments should be limited to 40 per cent of the standard allowance.

Kit Malthouse: The Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) has a duty to protect public funds and an obligation to ensure that, where it is permitted under social security legislation, any overpayment of benefit resulting from claimant error, fraud, or in the case of Universal Credit, official error, is recovered. For fraud overpayments, the maximum deduction rate is 40% of the appropriate Universal Credit standard allowance. In all other cases, the maximum deduction rate is 15% of the appropriate Universal Credit standard allowance. However, these are maximum rates and if an individual has multiple debts, for example utility or rent arrears, we will look to recover ‘in parallel’ in line with the overall priority order of deductions. If a claimant is having difficulty repaying a benefit overpayment they can request a reconsideration of the amount that is being taken. Any reduction will be based on the individual circumstances of the claimant rather than the amount of the overpayment, which helps to ensure that a sustainable repayment plan based on affordability is put in place.

Social Security Benefits

Matt Western: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how many claimants of (a) incapacity benefit and (b) employment and support allowance have died since May 2014 were found to be fit for work.

Sarah Newton: The information requested is not readily available.

Universal Credit: Scotland

Ian Murray: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, pursuant to the Answer of 26 March 2018 to Question 134167 on Universal Credit: Scotland and with reference to the decision of the Scottish Parliament to amend the Social Security Bill to require the Scottish Government to bring forward regulations under s30 of the Scotland Act 2016 to give effect to automatic split payments, what the timetable is for that functionality to be provided.

Ian Murray: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, pursuant to the Answer of 26 March 2018 to Question 134167 on Universal Credit: Scotland and with reference to the decision of the Scottish Parliament to amend the Social Security Bill to require the Scottish Government to bring forward regulations under s30 of the Scotland Act 2016 to give effect to automatic split payments, what work her Department plans to undertake to establish a timetable and cost its delivery.

Alok Sharma: This is a complex area of policy with many issues for the Scottish government to resolve. There are also some preparatory activities that are required, which will allow a process for safe delivery of this change to be constructed. As any IT solution is likely to require significant re-engineering of the payment system at the heart of Universal Credit, which supports claimants across the UK, any aspirations for progress will ultimately need to be weighed against the risks and other priorities for development of the system. As a result we are not yet in a position to agree a timetable for the implementation of this change.

Maternity Pay: Special Guardianship Orders

Tracy Brabin: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, for what reason maternity pay is not available to people undertaking guardianship orders.

Kit Malthouse: Statutory Maternity Pay (SMP), and Maternity Allowance (MA), are primarily health and safety provisions. They provide a measure of earnings replacement to help women who have worked during their pregnancies to stop working towards the end of them, and in the months after childbirth, in the interests of their own and their babies’ health and wellbeing. As there is no associated period of pregnancy for people granted guardianship of a child or children they would not be able to make a claim for either SMP or MA in relation to those children.

Welfare State: Reform

Chris Ruane: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what recent discussions Ministers of her Department have had with Ministers of the Department of Health and Social Care on the effect of welfare reforms on (a) physical health and (b) mental health.

Sarah Newton: The DWP and DHSC established the joint Work and Health Unit in 2015 to oversee the Government’s work and health agenda. Our ambition is that we develop a sustainable welfare and employment support system that operates in tandem with the health system and as part of strong wider local partnerships to move people into work when they are ready. The unit is made up of staff from both departments and is accountable to ministers from both departments, and they meet frequently to discuss welfare reform and the wider work and health agenda.

Support for Mortgage Interest

Margaret Greenwood: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what criteria are used for judging whether a Support for Mortgage Interest claimant has the mental capacity to make a decision about the new loan.

Kit Malthouse: The Loan for Mortgage Interest Regulations 2017 set out that in England and Wales ‘a person who lacks mental capacity’ has the meaning given in Section 2 of the Mental Capacity Act 2005 and in Scotland means a person who is incapable under Section 1(6) of the Adults with Incapacity (Scotland) Act 2000.

Agriculture: Waste Disposal

Paul Girvan: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how many farm accidents were reported involving a slurry tank or other slurry storage in the last three years.

Sarah Newton: Farmers in Great Britain are required to report accidents that cause defined injuries to people under the Reporting of Injuries, Diseases and Dangerous Occurrences Regulations 2013. Reports made in compliance with these regulations do not contain sufficient detail to enable identification of all incidents that are specifically related to slurry storage. In the case of incidents that have caused death, the Health and Safety Executive publishes annual reports of fatal injuries in agriculture in Great Britain. In the last three years for which figures have been published, the following deaths related to slurry storage were recorded:  YearNumber of deaths2014/1512015/1622016/170

Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs

Air Pollution

Dr David Drew: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, when he will publish the (a) 2016 and (b) 2017 versions of the National Atmospheric Emissions Inventory.

Dr Thérèse Coffey: As usual, the 2016 air pollutant emissions corresponding to the UK National Atmospheric Emissions Inventory (NAEI) will be published in summer 2018. Likewise the 2017 air pollutant emissions data (2017 NAEI) will be published in summer 2019, all as part of our normal annual inventory update of the NAEI website. Similarly, the 2016 greenhouse gas emissions corresponding to the UK NAEI will be published in summer 2018. Likewise the 2017 greenhouse gas emissions data (2017 NAEI) will be published in summer 2019.

Dogs: Canine Distemper

Richard Burden: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what estimate he has made of the number of dogs with canine distemper; and what steps his Department is taking to reduce incidences of that disease.

George Eustice: There is an effective vaccine available for canine distemper which is administered by private vets as part of the standard vaccination programme undertaken by responsible dog owners. As there is an effective vaccine, and as the disease is not notifiable or reportable in the UK, the Government does not collect surveillance data.

Clean Air Zones: West Midlands

Mr Roger Godsiff: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, whether his Department has conducted an economic impact study on the effect of clean air zones on businesses in (a) Birmingham and (b) the West Midlands.

Dr Thérèse Coffey: The Government assessed the impacts of charging in clean air zones on businesses nationally in the 2016 impact assessment. This did not look at the impacts on Birmingham or the West Midlands in isolation. The UK plan for tackling roadside nitrogen dioxide concentrations is clear that local authorities must conduct feasibility studies with robust economic impact assessments, following the HMT Green Book approach. The feasibility studies being produced by local authorities will look at these impacts at a local level.

Environment Protection

Stephen Crabb: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, how the Government plans to ensure that the four countries of the UK have a coherent approach to cross border environmental issues after the UK leaves the EU.

Dr Thérèse Coffey: Across England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland we have a shared interest in protecting our environment and delivering a Green Brexit. The Government wants to make sure decisions that should be taken in devolved areas are taken in devolved areas. But in some areas there will need to be a UK approach in respect of powers returning from the EU. The Joint Ministerial Committee (EU Negotiations) has agreed a set of common principles that will apply to common frameworks in areas where EU law currently intersects with devolved competence. These are outlined in the Joint Ministerial Communique: 16 October 2017 https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/joint-ministerial-committee-communique-16-october-2017. Ministers and officials are in regular discussion with counterparts in the Devolved Administrations on environmental policy matters. This includes considering the need for common frameworks and ensuring appropriate operational arrangements are in place after the UK leaves the EU.

Incinerators: Dudley

Dr David Drew: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what amendments were made to the periodic emission limit values for particulate matter made in the variation number CP3136XQ to the permit given to MES Environmental for its Dudley incineration plant.

Dr Thérèse Coffey: Amendments were made to change the emission limit value (ELV) for particulate matter which is measured on a periodic (twice yearly) basis to the same value as that of the half hourly ELV for particulate matter which is measured on a continuous basis. This was in line with the Waste Incineration Directive which was in force at the time and remains in line with the current requirements of the Industrial Emissions Directive.

Incinerators: Runcorn

Dr David Drew: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, pursuant to the Answer of 19 April 2018 to Question 135379, on Incinerators, for what reason the decision document sent to Runcorn EfW facility when granting permit No EPR/EP3731XL states on page 32 that current monitoring techniques will capture fine particles (PM2.5) and the resulting permit condition requires a full analysis of particulate size.

Dr Thérèse Coffey: The decision document states: “Whilst the [Environment] Agency is confident that current monitoring techniques will capture the fine particle fraction (PM2.5) for inclusion in a measurement of total particulate matter, a permit condition has been included that will require a full analysis of particle size distribution in the flue gas, and hence determine the ratio of fine to coarse particles.” The reason for this statement is that total particulate matter (TPM) includes PM2.5 as well as particulates of other sizes and therefore by monitoring TPM emissions, emissions of PM2.5 will also be captured.

Animal Welfare: Sentencing

Tom Brake: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what the timetable is for his Department to introduce legislative proposals to raise the maximum sentence for animal cruelty to five years; and whether his Department plans to do this by means of primary legislation.

George Eustice: The Government proposes to introduce legislation to increase the maximum penalty for animal cruelty offences as soon as Parliamentary time permits.

Milk: Prices

Mr Jim Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what estimate he has made of the average farm gate milk price in (a) February 2018, (b) February 2017, (c) February 2016, (d) February 2015, (e) February 2014, (f) February 2013, (g) February 2012 and (h) February 2011.

George Eustice: Farmgate milk prices for the month of February for each of the years 2018, 2017, 2016, 2015, 2014, 2013, 2012 and 2011 are set out below: Month Price (pence per litre)Feb-1829.40Feb-1727.47Feb-1623.01Feb-1526.06Feb-1433.96Feb-1330.07Feb-1228.93Feb-1126.08.Farmgate milk prices are published on a monthly basis at https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/uk-milk-prices-and-composition-of-milk/united-kingdom-milk-prices-and-composition-of-milk-statistics-notice-data-for-december-2017, with data going back to 1970.

Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs: Seafood

Melanie Onn: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, which Government departments he has had discussions with on the Seafood 2040 Strategy.

George Eustice: In the coming months Defra will be discussing the Seafood 2040 recommendations with a range of Government bodies including Public Health England, the Environment Agency, the Sea Fish Industry Authority, the Marine Management Organisation, the Centre for Environment, Fisheries and Aquaculture Science and the Food Standards Agency.

Agriculture: Subsidies

Andrew Bowie: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what his Department’s policy is on providing economic support to agriculture in marginal areas after the UK leaves the EU.

George Eustice: The Government understands the importance of providing stability to farmers as we leave the European Union and has pledged to continue to commit the same cash total in funds for farm support for the duration of this Parliament, providing much needed certainty to farmers and landowners. In our consultation document ‘Health and Harmony’, we have provided a clear direction for future farm support in England based on public money for public goods – principally, environmental enhancement. We sought views on how future land management schemes can reflect the reality of life for farmers and food producers. As part of this, we invited ideas on what areas could constitute public goods and be supported under the new system, including rural resilience. Farmers need stability, certainty and a smooth transition to a new system, so we will not switch off Direct Payments overnight, and are consulting on an agricultural transition period to provide time for farmers to adjust. We have also confirmed we will pay the 2019 Basic Payment Scheme on the same basis as we do now. This, together with our proposed ‘agricultural transition’ period away from the current system of Direct Payments in England, will provide time for farmers to adjust. Some sectors may find it more difficult than others to adapt to the phasing out of Direct Payments, for example, those located in the most remote, wild and beautiful parts of England. The uplands have the potential to benefit from new environmental land management schemes, given the nature of their landscapes and the many public goods that they deliver, such as biodiversity, flood risk mitigation and carbon sequestration. We will explore possible options on how we can best support such areas.

Agriculture: Scotland

Andrew Bowie: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, when he next plans to meet with the Scottish Government to discuss the status of the (a) Less Favoured Area Support and (b) Areas of Natural Constraint schemes during the implementation period after the UK leaves the EU.

George Eustice: The Secretary of State regularly discusses agriculture policy with colleagues in the Scottish Government, with the next meeting scheduled for 14 May. Agriculture is devolved, and it is the Government’s intention that each administration has the freedom to design policies that support the individual characteristics of their agricultural industries and unique landscapes. Common frameworks will only be established where needed to maintain the functioning of the UK internal market and to meet our trade and international obligations.

Flowers: Subsidies

Paul Girvan: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, whether his Department has made an assessment of the potential merits of providing subsidies to UK flower producers after the UK leaves the EU.

George Eustice: The Government has not explicitly made an assessment of the potential merits of providing subsidies to UK flower producers after the UK leaves the EU. We have made clear that we propose to phase out the concept of farm subsidies and replace them with a new system that rewards and encourages the delivery of public goods, principally environmental goods. The Government is currently consulting on a new domestic agriculture policy, including a new environmental land management system, to be introduced in the next Parliament.

Fisheries: Subsidies

Paul Girvan: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what estimate he has made of the total amount allocated to UK aquaculture through the European Fisheries Fund for the period 2007 to 2013.

George Eustice: The total amount allocated to UK aquaculture through the European Fisheries Fund (EFF) for the period 2007 to 2013 was £6,332,265. EFF funding was co-financed with £4,026,108 of national funding (UK Exchequer) along with private investment of £17,644,734, resulting in total investment in the aquaculture sector of £28,003,107.

Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs: Official Cars

Philip Davies: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what the job titles are of civil servants in his Department who have been provided with (a) an official car and (b) a driver.

George Eustice: No civil servants in Defra have been provided with an official car or a driver.

Home Office

Immigrants: Commonwealth

Jo Stevens: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what assessment the Government made prior to the introduction of the hostile environment immigration policy of that policy's potential effect on Commonwealth migrants who have been long-term residents of the UK.

Caroline Nokes: The Compliant Environment is not a new concept; successive Governments have brought forward policies to protect the UK taxpayer from the misuse of public services and benefits and to tackle illegal migration.Compliant Environment measures were never intended to impact on people with lawful immigration status in the UK, such as the Windrush generation.We are fully committed to helping those affected to evidence their status in the UK and are making that process as straightforward as possible. A taskforce and helpline has been set up in the Home Office to help those concerned to prove their residence. The taskforce is taking a proactive approach so individuals can easily establish their rights.We have also put in place additional protection for landlords, employers and others conducting checks in order to ensure we are not denying work, housing, benefits and services to Commonwealth migrants who have been long-term residents of the UK.

Asylum: Finance

Afzal Khan: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, pursuant to the Answer of 8 February to Question 126582 on asylum: finance, what criteria her Department uses to assess its business needs; and to which actions her Department will allocate funding in 2018.

Caroline Nokes: Management of the Asylum, Migration and Integration Fund (AMIF) in the UK is vested in the European Funding Team acting as the AMIF Responsible Authority (UKRA). The UKRA manages the funds to try and meet the objectives set out in the published AMIF National Programme, set out in Section 5 of the programme on ‘Common Indicators’. This is what the UK set out to achieve with AMIF funding over the course of the programme. The UKRA will review progress against these objectives when deciding where to focus funding, whilst still looking at funding across the programme objectives. AMIF has 3 Specific Objectives that the UK takes part in, Asylum, Integration and Returns. In the initial National Programme the UK agreed to fund these objectives at 20% of the allocation for each of Asylum and Integration, with 54% allocated to Returns activities. There was a slight re-prioritisation of funds from Returns to Integration as a result of a mid-term review with the European Commission, based on the larger number of refugees in the UK since the Programme was drawn up in 2013. For the purpose of clarity it may be useful to set out the definition of AMIF funding years, in that it operates from 16/10/n – 15/10/n+1, therefore the 2018 AMIF year will be 16/10/17 – 15/10/18. Currently in the UK there are 14 AMIF funded projects, 6 under the Asylum objective, 2 under Integration and 6 under Returns. All these projects are operated by the Home Office. A complete list of funded projects is published on www.gov.uk, for projects up to each July. The UKRA currently has an ‘open call for proposals’ asking for applications for funding for projects to deal with refugee integration. The value of this call for proposals is £40m. The closing date for applications is 09/05/18, with an expectation that successful applications will be starting from 01/08/18. For further information the UK Responsible Authority can be contacted at: AMIFEnquiries@homeoffice.gsi.gov.uk

Immigration: Caribbean

Jon Trickett: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, which company her Department has contracted to manage (a) part or (b) the whole of the Windrush generation helpline.

Caroline Nokes: No third party has been contracted to manage all, or part, of the helpline. To ensure people had access to the support they needed without delay, between 17 and 20 April ‘Windrush’ related call handling was supported by Sitel. The dedicated Windrush helpline went live on 20 April and is managed and staffed internally from within the Department.

Immigration: EU Nationals

Sir Vince Cable: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what estimate she has made of the total number of additional staff her Department will need in order to process EU citizens’ immigration and residence status and permanent residency applications ahead of the UK leaving the EU.

Caroline Nokes: Recruitment is underway to bring existing UKVI European Casework staffing levels to circa 1,500 ahead of the EU Exit Settlement Scheme launch at the end of this year. Operational units across the Home Office actively monitor workflows to ensure sufficient resources are in place to meet demand and will continue to do so throughout negotiations and as the UK leaves the EU. Any resultant changes to resource requirements will be factored into strategic planning.

Undocumented Migrants

Angus Brendan MacNeil: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, which private companies are involved in the (a) detention and (b) deportation of people (i) deemed to be and (ii) under suspicion of being in the UK illegally.

Caroline Nokes: Escorting deportation: Mitie Care and Custody Detention: G4S (Brook House and Tinsley House Gatwick IRC’s), Mitie Care and Custody (Heathrow IRC and Campsfield House IRC), Geo (Dungavel IRC, Scotland), Serco (Yarlswood IRC).

Passports: Fraud

Philip Davies: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what information he holds on the number of (a) Ukrainian and (b) Russian nationals who are in the UK having entered on a false EU passport or identity document.

Caroline Nokes: The information requested is not held in a reportable format.

Crime Prevention: Gangs

Louise Haigh: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how much his Department plans to allocate to the Ending Gang Violence and Exploitation fund in (a) 2018-19 and (b) 2019-20.

Victoria Atkins: We will continue to support local voluntary sector and community schemes through new rounds of the Ending Gang Violence and Exploitation (EGVE) Fund. We plan to allocate up to £300,000 in 2018-19 and in 2019-20. The EGVE Fund will be launched in the summer and further details will be available in due course.We are continuing to provide funding for Young People’s Advocates in London, Manchester and Birmingham to work directly with gang-affected women and girls. We are also providing funding to Redthread to support the expansion of their youth violence intervention scheme in hospital emergency departments.We will also be providing £1million for the Community Fund in both 2018/19 and 2019/20 to help communities tackle knife crime and £11million over the next two years through a new Early Intervention Youth Fund.

Female Genital Mutilation

Kerry McCarthy: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, whether the Government plans to produce (a) statistics and (b) updated estimates on the prevalence of female genital mutilation (i) nationwide and (ii) by city or region.

Victoria Atkins: Female genital mutilation (FGM) is a crime and it is child abuse. The Government is clear that we will not tolerate a practice that can cause extreme and lifelong suffering to women and girls.In 2015 a City University and Equality Now study, which was part funded by the Home Office, estimated that 137,000 women and girls who had migrated to England and Wales were living with the consequences of FGM, and approximately 60,000 girls aged 0-14 were born in England and Wales to mothers who had undergone FGM. This study also provides a regional breakdown of FGM prevalence by local authority area. Additionally, the FGM enhanced dataset is published quarterly and annually by NHS Digital. The most recent set of annual statistics were published in July 2017 and quarterly statistics were published in March 2018. A detailed breakdown of these statistics by local authority, age at which FGM was carried out and country where FGM was undertaken is available online at https://digital.nhs.uk/data-and-information/publications/statistical/female-genital-mutilation. These statistics demonstrate that a very high majority of cases are identified in adult women who were born in Africa or Asia who also underwent the practice in their country of birth. To improve understanding of the prevalence of so-called ‘Honour Based Violence’ including FGM we have amended the police Annual Data Requirement for 2018/19 to formally record for the first time where a crime has been committed in the context of preserving the honour of a family or community.

Human Trafficking

Frank Field: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how the eligibility criteria for local authority anti-trafficking pilots relating to the trafficking of people have been determined.

Frank Field: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what estimate she has made of the number of victims of people trafficking who will be eligible for support under local authority anti-trafficking pilots.

Victoria Atkins: The Government wants to ensure that when adult victims of modern slavery leave National Referral Mechanism (NRM) support, they are able to begin re-building their lives as early as possible. Victims leaving the NRM can either be supported to return to their country of origin, apply for asylum, or move into a local community.As part of NRM reform, Home Office Ministers committed to working with local authorities to test ‘transition pathways’ for victims who move out of NRM support and into local communities, with a view to identifying best practice.Over the next year, we will be working with six local authorities on this project which will contribute to a more robust evidence base including the number of victims who move into local communities after NRM support and what support they require.

Hate Crime: Internet

Louise Haigh: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, with reference to his Department's announcement of the new national online hate crime hub, published on 8 October 2017, how many FTE officers are employed at the hub; how many (a) crimes and (b) perpetrators of crimes the hub has identified;and how many referrals have been made to social media platforms as a result of the work of the hub since its inception.

Victoria Atkins: The new online hate crime hub went live in January. It is in the initial phase of operations, with 3 out of 4 specialist full-time staff now in post and undertaking training and developing key processes, which include the provision of monitoring data in due course. The dedicated staff are supported by management supervision from Greater Manchester Police and the National Police Chiefs’ Council.

Knives: Crime

Catherine McKinnell: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what steps he is taking to prevent knife crime in the North East of England.

Victoria Atkins: On 9 April 2018, the Government published the Serious Violence Strategy that set out action being taken to address serious violence and in particular the recent increases in knife crime, gun crime and homicide. This also includes the national knife crime media campaign, #knifefree, to raise awareness of the consequences of knife crime among young people and to encourage them to take up positive activities.We will continue to encourage police forces in England and Wales to undertake a series of coordinated national weeks of action to tackle knife crime under Operation Sceptre. In February this year, the police forces in Northumbria, Cleveland and Durham all participated in Operation Sceptre, which includes targeted stop and searches, weapon sweeps, test purchases of knives from identified retailers, the use of surrender bins and educational activities. We also announced up to £1million for a new round of the anti-knife crime Community Fund which will invite bids for funding later this Spring from community groups to tackle knife crime in their area.

Crimes of Violence

Louise Haigh: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what his Department's definition of serious violent crime is;  and which offence types his Department includes in that definition.

Victoria Atkins: However, the scope of the Serious Violence Strategy is concerned with specific types of crime such as homicide, knife crime, and gun crime and areas of criminality where serious violence or its threat is inherent, such as in gangs and county lines drug dealing. It also includes emerging crime threats faced in some areas of the country such as the use of corrosive substances as a weapon.Serious violence also extends to other forms of serious assault. We know that a significant proportion of violence is linked to either domestic abuse or alcohol, but these two important elements are not driving the increases we are seeing in violent crime. The strategy also does not address specifically sexual abuse, modern slavery or violence against women and girls. They may all involve forms of serious violence but there are already specific strategies addressing those important issues, and so they are not included within the scope of the Serious Violence Strategy.

Shops: Crimes of Violence

Mr Laurence Robertson: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what guidance hisDepartment has issued to businesses on violence within the retail work place; and if he will make a statement.

Victoria Atkins: Violence is unacceptable wherever it takes place, and violence or abuse against retail staff should not be tolerated. We encourage all victims, including shop workers, to report these crimes to the police whenever they occur so that they can be recorded and investigated and the perpetrators brought to justice.Through the National Retail Crime Steering Group, we are working with our partners across government, the police and in the retail sector to explore what more can be done to prevent and tackle violence and abuse against retail staff. This includes sharing best practice and exploring whether there is more to be done to ensure consistency in training and in the reporting and response to these crimes, and whether there are additional steps that retailers can take to help reduce the risk of violence.

Registration of Births, Deaths, Marriages and Civil Partnerships

Grahame Morris: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, pursuant to the Answer of 30 April 2018 to Question 138022, what the timetable is for the introduction of additional qualified informants to be progressed alongside wider Death Certification Reforms contained within the Coroners and Justice Act 2009.

Caroline Nokes: The time table will be agreed with the Department for Health and Social Care who are responsible for Death Certification Reforms. An announcement will be made by the Government in due course.

Visas: Health Professions

Preet Kaur Gill: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many applications for tier 2 visas from (a) doctors and (b) nurses have been turned down over the last 12 months.

Caroline Nokes: The information requested on Tier 2 applications by doctors and nurses turned down over the last 12 months is not included in statistics published by the Home Office. Information on the total number of Tier 2 entry clearance visa outcomes can be found in Visas volume 1 table vi_01_q here: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/immigration-statistics-october-to-december-2017/list-of-tables#visas

Undocumented Workers: Fines

Paul Blomfield: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, pursuant to the answer of 26 April 2018 to Question 137049, on Undocumented Workers: Fines, how many of those initial decision illegal working civil penalties have been (a) reduced, (b) cancelled, (c) increased and (d) reissued.

Caroline Nokes: The information is not readily available/held centrally and could only be obtained at disproportionate cost.

Slavery

Paul Blomfield: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many modern slavery operations Immigration Enforcement Crime teams partnered in each of the last three years.

Caroline Nokes: We do not hold the data requested.

UK Border Force: Northern Ireland

Gavin Robinson: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, for what reasons people making Border Force applications in Northern Ireland cannot supplement their qualifying experience with military or police service in the same way as their counterparts in Great Britain can.

Caroline Nokes: Border Force values the experience of people who have worked in the military and law enforcement. Current and former members are free to apply for all our recruitment campaigns. The requirement was removed by Border Force for this campaign following concerns raised by the Equality Commission for Northern Ireland on using military and law enforcement as a specific criterion. This was in the interest of ensuring we have a representative profile of candidates in Northern Ireland.

Wales Office

Electricity Interconnectors: Wales

Hywel Williams: To ask the Secretary of State for Wales, what discussions he has had with Cabinet colleagues on the effect of the UK leaving the EU Single Market and Customs Union on the East-West Interconnector.

Alun Cairns: The Government’s priority is to maintain affordable, clean, and secure energy supplies for businesses and households. We share the EU’s ambition to make energy trading easier and more efficient by opening up national markets, and increasing the level of interconnection between them, including between the Republic of Ireland, and all parts of the UK. We want to continue arrangements that allow efficient trade of electricity to take place between the single electricity market and Great Britain across the East-West interconnector, and to closely collaborate on current and future regulatory and technical arrangements. Outcomes relating to the EU Single Market and the Customs Union are matters for negotiations, and we are unable to comment on this until negotiations conclude.

Scotland Office

Scotland Office: Mobile Phones

Jon Trickett: To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland, what apps his Department has approved for use on mobile phones issued by his Department.

David Mundell: Due to national security concerns it would be inappropriate to publicly supply a list of applications approved for use on mobile phones issued by the Department, as to do so facilitates attacks against official systems by hostile actors.

Cabinet Office

Public Sector: Recruitment

Andrew Selous: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, what progress the Government has made on the roll-out the ban the box initiative throughout the public sector.

Oliver Dowden: The Civil Service chose to adopt the Ban the Box initiative in February 2016. The Cabinet Office does not hold information on the number of public sector organisations that have adopted the Ban the Box policy.I also refer the honourable member to the response given by Dr Phillip Lee on behalf of the Ministry of Justice on the 13th November 2017 (Ref: 111417).

Intelligence Services: Detainees

Alex Sobel: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, whether any changes will be made to the process for (a) review and (b) oversight of the Consolidated Guidance.

Mr David Lidington: I refer the Honourable Gentleman to the Prime Minister’s Written Ministerial Statement of 15 September 2016 (HCWS157). This work has been taken forward, with input from the Intelligence Services Commissioner and his successor, and we have sought the views of the Intelligence and Security Committee of Parliament (ISC) in the context of their Detainee Inquiry. The Government intends to wait until the ISC’s report is published later this year before deciding on next steps.I also refer the Honourable Gentleman to the Prime Minister’s Written Ministerial Statement of 1 March 2018 (HCWS502)

Intelligence Services: Detainees

Alex Sobel: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, whether the Government plans to hold a public consultation on potential changes to the Consolidated Guidance.

Mr David Lidington: I refer the Honourable Gentleman to the Prime Minister’s Written Ministerial Statement of 15 September 2016 (HCWS157). This work has been taken forward, with input from the Intelligence Services Commissioner and his successor, and we have sought the views of the Intelligence and Security Committee of Parliament (ISC) in the context of their Detainee Inquiry. The Government intends to wait until the ISC’s report is published later this year before deciding on next steps.

Life Expectancy

Chris Ruane: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, how many and what proportion of local authority areas saw a decline in life expectancy for (a) males at birth, (b) females at birth, (c) males at 65 years and older and (d) females at 65 years and older in the reporting period 2001-03 to 2004-06.

Chloe Smith: The information requested falls within the responsibility of the UK Statistics Authority. I have asked the Authority to reply.



UKSA Response
(PDF Document, 142.94 KB)

Department for International Trade

Department for International Trade: ICT

Jon Trickett: To ask the Secretary of State for International Trade, pursuant to the Answer of 26 April 2018 to Question 136349, which the IT systems referred to are.

Jon Trickett: To ask the Secretary of State for International Trade, pursuant to the Answer of 26 April 2018 to Question 136349, on Department for International Trade: ICT, if he will list the IT systems referred to.

Greg Hands: Due to national security concerns it would be inappropriate to make this public.

Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport

Wembley Stadium

Dr Rosena Allin-Khan: To ask the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, when his Department was first made aware of an offer to buy Wembley football stadium.

Dr Rosena Allin-Khan: To ask the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, whether he has had discussions with the Chancellor of the Exchequer or other HM Treasury Ministers on the sale of Wembley Football Stadium; and if he will make a statement.

Tracey Crouch: The Secretary of State and I were first made aware about the potential sale of Wembley stadium when The FA Chair and Chief Executive came to see us on the 17 April 2018. It will be for my Department to lead on behalf of Government on further discussions with the FA on any potential sale of the stadium over the course of this month. Together with Sport England and the Greater London Authority we will be seeking reassurances that both the interests of the national team and the grassroots are protected and would benefit from any potential deal.

World War I: Anniversaries

Ian Murray: To ask the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, what monies have been allocated from the public purse to commemorate the role of women in World War 1 at centenary events.

Michael Ellis: We have committed more than £10 million in LIBOR funds to support the National Commemorative events delivered by my Department, which mark the key milestones of the First World War Centenary. These have commemorated the Gallipoli Campaign, the battles of Jutland, the Somme and Passchendaele, and a variety of events to be delivered in 2018. All of the events have included female voices, and have reflected the roles played by women and the impact of the war on women. The Government’s wider programme is designed to support communities and organisations in telling stories of greatest relevance to them through commemorative events, exhibitions and other projects. Projects across the country supported by Government funding and other sources of public funding have commemorated the role of women in the First World War. The Imperial War Museums’ Centenary Partnership has delivered ‘WomensWork100’, which is specifically focusing on the role of women during the First World War, holding events at the IWM in Lambeth and around the country. 14-18 NOW, the Government’s Cultural delivery partner, has also commemorated the role played by women. There is also an extensive programme of events taking place in 2018 to commemorate the centenary of the Representation of the People Act 1918.

Information Commissioner: Staff

Mr Jim Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, how many FTE employees have worked for the Information Commissioner's office in each year since that office was founded.

Margot James: The requested information can be found in the table below: Year (figure quoted on 31st March)HeadcountFTE2002170154.72003183169.12004204188.512005211196.512006265242.322007256235.712008275256.012009321302.042010337313.822011353328.492012350324.612013388359.62014386354.02015392363.52016442408.62017472439.42018540504.8  Prior to 2002, FTE employee data is not readily available. The figures in the table below are the most accurate the ICO have on record but may not be completely accurate as employments records pre 2002 are not complete.  Year (figure quoted on 31st March)HeadcountNotes1984/198550This is an estimate of the staffing number they expected to achieve as recruitment for most roles was on going.198683including temporary/casual198790including temporary/casual198893including temporary/casual198991including temporary/casual199070including temporary/casual199186including temporary/casual199292including temporary/casual199399including temporary/casual199493including temporary/casual199598including temporary/casual1996104including temporary/casual1997105including temporary/casual1998105including temporary/casual1999115.5including temporary/casual2000112including temporary/casual2001123including temporary/casual

Youth Services

Vernon Coaker: To ask the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, what plans he has to make the provision of youth services a statutory duty for local authorities.

Tracey Crouch: Government places a statutory duty on local authorities through 507B of the Education Act 1996, as amended by the Education and Inspections Act 2006 (positive leisure-time activities for young people) to secure, so far as reasonably practical, sufficient positive activities for young people. Government believes that local authorities are best placed to secure services that meet the needs of young people within the budget that is available to them.

Radio Frequencies

Kevin Brennan: To ask the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, when he plans to publish the funding scheme for users of Programme Making and Special Events equipment displaced by the 700 MHz clearance.

Margot James: We expect Ofcom to publish a Statement announcing details of the Help Scheme for PMSE users affected by the 700MHz clearance programme in due course. This follows on from Ofcom's consultation on the Help Scheme.

House of Commons Commission

Parliamentary Tours

Mr Nigel Evans: To ask the right hon. Member for Carshalton and Wallington, representing the House of Commons Commission, how many in-house guides excluding Blue Badge Guides are planned to lose their jobs when the new system of Members' tours of the House is introduced in October 2018.

Tom Brake: No members of staff will lose their jobs as a result of introducing the new operating model for guided tours. From 1 November 2018 we will no longer offer tours to a pool of 49 tour guides, who are casual workers with no guaranteed hours to guide in Parliament. This is consistent with the House of Commons’ commitment to end the use of casual working arrangements. The new model will create 28 permanent new jobs directly employed by Parliament, with all the benefits of full employment such as pension, paid leave, sick pay and parental leave. All of the new directly-employed guiding roles are open to applications from all guides who currently deliver tours at Parliament on a casual worker basis and will include part-time as well as full-time opportunities. All Parliamentary staff who guide in addition to another directly employed role in either the House Service or the Parliamentary Digital Service will continue to be able to deliver guided tours.

Parliamentary Tours

Mr Nigel Evans: To ask the right hon. Member for Carshalton and Wallington, representing the House of Commons Commission, what qualifications are required for the new guides who will be responsible for Members' tours.

Tom Brake: A formal qualification in guiding is not mandatory. A full programme of training will be provided by Parliament. The new guide positions will be filled through thorough recruitment and selection practices, which includes an application, online testing, assessment days and interviews. This process will ensure that successful applicants have all the skills and qualities required to perform the role to the very high standards required.

Parliamentary Tours

Mr Nigel Evans: To ask the right hon. Member for Carshalton and Wallington, representing the House of Commons Commission, what estimate the Commission has made of the potential (a) cost of and (b) savings from introducing the new system of Members' tours.

Tom Brake: The new operating model for guided tours, which rationalises the operating models for Member tours, events tours and paid-for commercial tours, will require an upfront investment of £180,000 in 2018/19. It is forecast that, due to the lower running costs of the new operating model, this investment will be recouped and further savings of £300,000 will be achieved over five years. By comparison, the cost of continuing to run the existing operating model (where the same number of tours would be provided by a mixture of outsourcing to a private provider and relying on a pool of casual workers with no guaranteed work) is forecast to be £800,000 more than the new operating model over the same period.

Parliament: Food

John Mann: To ask the right hon. Member for Carshalton and Wallington, representing the House of Commons Commission, how many kilogrammes of food Parliament has discarded in (a) the last week and (b) the last month for which data are available.

Tom Brake: The House of Commons Commission has indicated that it will not be possible to answer this question within the usual time period. An answer is being prepared and will be provided as soon as it is available.

Prime Minister

National Security

Sir Nicholas Soames: To ask the Prime Minister, what the five most serious risks are to the (a) security and (b) prosperity of the UK that have been identified by her Government.

Mrs Theresa May: The Government assesses the most significant risks to the UK and our interests through the National Security Risk Assessment (NSRA).The NSRA is used to inform the National Security Strategy and Strategic Defence and Security Review. Copies are available in the libraries of the House.

Undocumented Migrants: Deportation

Catherine West: To ask the Prime Minister, what discussions she has had with the (a) Right Honourable Member for Hastings, (b) Home Secretary and (c) Minister of State for Immigration on whether bonuses were awarded to officials in the Home Office for meeting immigration removal targets.

Mrs Theresa May: I refer the hon. Member to the answer given to her by the Secretary of State for the Home Department, my right hon. Friend the Member for Bromsgrove (Mr Javid) on 2 May 2019, Official Report, column 349.

Hitachi

Paul Flynn: To ask the Prime Minister, whether she has plans to meet the chairman of Hitachi, Hiroaki Nakanishi.

Paul Flynn: To ask the Prime Minister, whether she has recently had discussions with chairman of Hitachi, Hiroaki Nakanishi, or representatives of that company on the building and operation of a nuclear power plant in Wales; and if she will make a statement.

Mrs Theresa May: Details of Ministerial UK official visits and official meetings with external organisations and individuals are published quarterly and made available on the gov.uk website.